Representatives of the automotive world have had their eyes on July 7 for days. Campaigns for new vehicles had intensified due to the General Security Regulation expected to come into effect on that date. The Ministry of Industry and Technology extended the General Security Regulation to August 31. Thus, the last sales date for vehicles that do not fall within this scope was postponed. It is expected that brands will increase their campaigns even more so that they do not run out of vehicles and that competition will intensify.
With the regulation that will come into force, many equipment will be made mandatory in vehicles, with the aim of reducing the loss of life and property. As citizens turned to new cars, second-hand car dealers lowered their prices but could not see the expected interest during the holiday. Sellers stated that they could not make installments or discounts on second-hand vehicles and that the market was stagnant this holiday.
Many features that are not mandatory in cars, such as lane tracking systems, emergency braking systems that recognize pedestrians and bicycles, parking sensors and reversing cameras, will now be mandatory in every vehicle. Experts note that these features will increase prices and accelerate citizens’ thoughts of buying a new vehicle.
WE CANNOT GIVE MATERIALS AND DISCOUNTS
Aydın Erkoç, Chairman of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Federation (MASFED), stated that they could not see the movement they expected in the second-hand car market during the holiday. Stating that new vehicles are sold, Erkoç said, “The reason for this is that they can make campaigns such as price discounts and repayment terms, but second-hand sales do not have such a chance. Since they already buy the vehicles from individuals and sell them by adding a certain profit on top of the vehicle price, they cannot offer discounts or installments. “In addition, as everyone knows, high loan interest rates and low maturity numbers unfortunately brought the second-hand market to a halt,” he summarized the situation by saying.
INTEREST RATES SHOULD BE REDUCED
Erkoç stated that there is no activity in the old holidays and that citizens do not even visit car dealerships anymore and said, “Although the holiday is over and everyone has returned, there is no activity. Unfortunately, we do not believe that the market will open unless interest rates fall. On the other hand, people in need prefer to postpone their needs and put their lump sum into interest instead of buying a vehicle, even if they have the opportunity, due to its high return. “This situation creates a big obstacle for the market,” he said.

THE SCRAPY VEHICLE PROBLEM
Erkoç also touched upon the issue of increasing SCT on vehicles brought from China and said that there are opportunists at this point. When other brands show interest, they also raise their prices noted. “We do not believe that the prices will drop further. Currently, vehicle prices have fallen as much as they can. It is time to buy a new or second-hand vehicle,” said Erkoç, concluding his words as follows:
“There are nearly 35 million vehicles in Turkey, from tractors to motorcycles. 35 percent of these vehicles are over 20 years old and need to be scrapped. It is very difficult to implement this practice when we have not yet been able to remove these vehicles from traffic. Removing the vehicles that need to be scrapped, which make up the 35 percent we mentioned, from traffic will also affect our economy. If the scrap discount that was previously applied were to be applied now, it would have very serious consequences. In the past, a citizen was given 5-10 thousand TL scrap support. Today, vehicles that will be scrapped start at 200 thousand TL. No one would scrap their vehicle to get a 10 thousand TL scrap discount. The opinions of the stakeholders in the sector should be taken into account on such issues.”

MANDATORY EQUIPMENT
As of August 31, it will be mandatory for vehicles to have the following equipment.
– Emergency Braking System, Lane Tracking System, Reverse Camera System, Blind Spot Warning System, Fatigue and Attention Warning System, Smart Speed Assist, Alcohol Lock System Preparation