Tofas to expand production and create 1,200 new jobs in 2011

Star - Türkiye’s leading car maker Tofas has become one of Italian automotive company Fiat’s top three production plants in the world. Having produced a record level of 312,000 cars last year, Tofas is now the third largest Fiat production plant after the group’s Italian and Brazilian plants.

A joint venture between Türkiye’s Koc Holding and Italian Fiat, Tofas will invest EUR 150 million in the new Combo model to be produced under Opel/Vauxhall brands. The company will increase its employment by 1,200 people before the end of the year.

Tofas CEO Ali Pandir outlined the company’s 2011 strategy in a press event, saying that the production for Opel/Vauxhall, stock replenishment efforts and addressing the domestic/foreign demand made the third work shift in the Tofas plant necessary in the first quarter. “We will be adding 500 workers to our staff initially, 1,200 before the end of the year,” said Pandir, adding that Tofas’s work force will comprise 8,200 people with the new recruitments.