Abstract:

In Turkey, motor vehicle production and operations associated with it have started in form of assembly industry in 1955. Showing an assembly-based growth up to 1980s, the motor vehicle production now, under effect of a variety of developments from 1990s on, reached to a level to be able to produce in global scale. In those years when motor vehicle production in Turkey was on basis of assembly (1955-1970), the production operations were largely performed in Istanbul. The automotive industry operations, expanded to other places outside Istanbul in the subsequent years, started in Bursa from 1970s on, inland of the country in 1980s (Aksaray, Eskişehir, Ankara, Adana) and mostly in Kocaeli and Sakarya from 1990s on. In addition to a number of factors effective in the establishment and operation of the automotive industry (market, transportation, labour, capital, governmental policies, energy resources, personal decisions, etc.), urbanization in the country had also effect on the formation of this spatial distribution. Objective of this study is to determine geographical distribution of automotive industry operations in Turkey and explore the factors having effect on this distribution. A variety of geographical methods and techniques have been used in order to determine factors which have been effective in the selection of locations for the automotive industry and facilities associated with it. 

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