At CES 2022, Togg showed off a concept electric sedan. The marketing of the first production model has been postponed.
Name a Turkish car manufacturer. Most people would probably stumble on this quiz question, because names as unglamorous as Devrim or Tüvasaş aren’t familiar to everyone and the builders haven’t been in business for a long time. Except that for some time now, a new Turkish car brand has been in the news: Togg, abbreviation of “Türkiye’nin Otomobili Girişim Grubu”. Founded in 2018, the joint venture of several large Turkish groups does not, however, intend to be just a simple car manufacturer, but wants to be considered as a technology supplier. Together with a partner, Togg wants to take over the production of batteries for its electric cars and also intends to establish itself as a supplier of battery and energy storage systems in the non-automotive field.
The plans of Togg boss Gürcan Karakas are ambitious to say the least. The marketing of the first production model is scheduled for in just over a year. By 2030, the Turks expect to produce one million electric cars in five different segments. These will share the same “Smart Life” platform and will be distributed worldwide. With this in mind, Togg has already launched a subsidiary, Togg Europe, headquartered in Stuttgart, dedicated to distribution in Germany. Other subsidiaries should follow in other European countries, even if, for the moment, we still do not know in which ones and in what time frame.
To support these ambitions, Togg unveiled at CES in Las Vegas, a concept car called Smart Device. The electric sedan is based on the modular platform which must also receive the production models, a platform entirely developed by the manufacturer. Designed by Italian specialist, Pininfarina, the hatchback concept shares the same design language as the production SUV. The particularity of the concept car lies in its antagonistic opening doors and the absence of B-pillars.
The cabin is also very similar to that of the SUV. In both models, a panoramic dashboard extends over the entire width of the cockpit, as is already the case with the Chinese manufacturer, Bayton. In addition, there is another screen, located in the center console. In the concept car, the round steering wheel was replaced by a square-shaped model. Four individual seats with integrated seat belts and headrests provide a premium feel.
The manufacturer has not provided any data on the propulsion of the Smart Device. Since the concept is based on the same platform as the SUV, the sedan could also be available with 147 kW (200 hp) rear-wheel drive or 297 kW (404 hp) four-wheel drive. The SUV is expected to be offered with two battery sizes; range should be between 300 and around 500 kilometres. The manufacturer also promises an 80% charge in half an hour on a fast charger.
The market date of the first Togg model is not yet known. Initially, the Turkish company was aiming for a market launch at the end of 2022, but this date has been pushed back to 2023.
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