At the New Mobility Congress in Poland, the advantages of Türkiye’s Customs Union relationship with the European Union for the automotive sector came under discussion. Bartosz Mielecki, managing director of the Polish Automotive Group, said vehicles produced in Türkiye can enter the European Union market free of the import tariffs that Chinese vehicles must pay.
Poland and Türkiye followed different paths in automotive
Mielecki said the development of Poland’s and Türkiye’s automotive industries began at almost the same time in the 1970s. He said the two countries shared the same starting point, but Türkiye chose to build a complete automotive industry with its own brand, while Poland chose to become one of Europe’s largest automotive component producers.
More than 463,000 new vehicles were sold in Poland during the first eight months of the year. Mielecki said sales rose by approximately 10% compared with the previous year and that Poland’s automotive market was growing faster than the European Union average.
€52 billion in production
Mielecki said Poland’s automotive industry produced goods worth approximately €52 billion in 2025. He said parts and components accounted for more than half of this output, adding that Poland is one of Europe’s largest exporters of automotive parts.
Mielecki said more than 75% of automotive production in Poland was exported. He added that European suppliers were facing rising energy costs, higher wages, price pressure from vehicle manufacturers and costly technology changes.
Chinese brands increase their market share
Mielecki said the market share of Chinese brands in Poland rose from 6% to approximately 13% in one year. He said Türkiye’s Customs Union with the European Union allows vehicles produced in the country to be offered on the European Union market without import tariffs, describing this as a major competitive advantage for Türkiye.
Referring to Türkiye’s domestic carmaker Togg, Mielecki said the company had made significant progress from its establishment in 2018 to the start of mass production in 2022. He said Togg was the market leader in Türkiye and that the brand entered the European market through Germany in 2025.
Mielecki said Poland’s domestic electric car venture Izera was transformed into a joint venture model at the end of 2024 after approximately 10 years of work. He said a research center and a factory were planned for Izera.
Electric vehicle registrations rise 240-fold
Aleksander Rajch, a board member of the New Mobility Association, said the organization was the largest industry body shaping the e-mobility and hydrogen technology market in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.
Rajch said they had expanded the new mobility ecosystem beyond automotive to include aviation and maritime sectors. He said electric vehicle registrations in Poland had increased 240-fold since 2016 and that there were 152,000 electric vehicles in the country.
Rajch said they estimated that a properly implemented new mobility strategy could contribute 5% to Poland’s gross domestic product by 2035.
