Turkish Trade and Industry Minister Nihat Ergun said on Sunday that Turkey sought to encourage use of electric cars in the county, and planned first stimulus regulations for 2011.

The semi-official Anatolia news agency quoted the minister as saying that taxes imposed on the electric cars should be at the minimum level so that people would prefer to use such kind of cars instead of others.

According to Ergun, Oyak Renault automobile factory will start to produce electrical Fluence model as of the end of 2010, which will be the first automotive company in Turkey to work on manufacturing electric cars.

Government apartments should start using electric cars, which would encourage others to choose those cars, said Ergun, adding his ministry will work with the Finance Ministry on possible steps to encourage the use of electric cars.

Ibrahim Aybar, chairman of the Turkish Automotive Distributors Association, noted that people are now pursuing the shift from fossil-fueled vehicles to emission-free electrical vehicles.

"This shift will reveal itself throughout the world particularly in 2011, and by 2020, at least 10 percent of the vehicles will have electrical engines, that is, they will be emission-free," he added.

The recessionary conditions, which penetrated the market 13 month ago, continue within context of manufacturing in automotive sector although the pace of contraction has eased.

According to Automotive Manufacturer's Association, the total automotive production of Turkey stands as 615,995 units in the first nine months of 2009, which highlights 36 percent annual decline.

In the relevant period, contraction in commercial vehicles segment continued to exceed the decline in passenger cars, which demonstrated a fall of 46 percent and 28 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2009)