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The story
Founded by Vehbi Koç in 1968.1
Tofaş was founded in 1968. The company’s production plant was established in Bursa in 1969, marking the beginning of its manufacturing operations in Turkey. In 1971, Tofaş introduced its first model, the Fiat 124, produced under license from Fiat and locally named Murat 124 (with a later version called Serçe). This year also saw the establishment of Tofaş's first motorsports team.
In 1973, Tofaş formed a spare parts company called OPAR, (OPAR is an abbreviation for Orjinal Parça (Turkish) or Original Parts (English), probably inspired from MOPAR) focusing on the sale of spare parts for a variety of vehicle brands. The company’s sports activities were further formalized in 1974 with the founding of the Tofaş Sport Club. Tofaş expanded its export market in 1975 by shipping vehicles to Egypt, its first international market. In 1976, Tofaş began production of the Murat 131 model.
The company’s product lineup grew in the early 1980s, with the start of production for the Kartal and Dogan models in 1981. Production of Fiat 131 and its derivatives continued until 2003 and until 2010 in CKD form. In 1990, Tofaş began producing the Tempra, and in 1994, the Uno model was introduced. That same year, Tofaş established its Research and Development (R&D) division. Exports of the Tempra began in 1995, marking a broader international presence for the company. In 1997, Tofaş and OPAR merged into a single entity.
In 1999, Tofaş began production of the Marea and Brava models, followed by the Doblò in 2000 which was designed by Tofaş. The company also launched the Tofaş Basketball Volunteer Project in 2000. In 2001, Tofaş merged its production plant with Tofaş Oto Ticaret, the company’s automotive trade division. That year, the company entered into a partnership with Alfa Romeo, which began producing cars at the Tofaş factory.
The Albea model entered production in 2002, and in 2003, Tofaş opened the Tofaş Museum of Cars in Anatolia. In 2005, Tofaş became the official distributor of Ferrari and Maserati in Turkey, establishing the Fer Mas company to manage these brands. Exports to Russia of the Palio and Albea models began in 2006.
Tofaş acquired official distribution rights for Lancia in 2007 and completed the Minicargo project, resulting in the launch of the Fiat Fiorino. The vehicle was also sold to PSA as the Peugeot Bipper and Citroën Nemo, marking the first time Tofaş sold the rights to one of its models. In 2009, the Albea Sole model was introduced, and Tofaş S.K. won promotion to the Turkish Basketball Super League.
In 2012, following the merger between Fiat and Chrysler, Jeep joined Tofaş in Turkey. By this time, the company had produced 4 million vehicles. In 2013, Tofaş formed a partnership with Magneti Marelli for the sale of automotive parts in Turkey and achieved the WCM “Gold Level” at its Bursa production plant.
Tofaş continued its investment in education and innovation by opening the Tofaş Academy in 2014 and establishing the Tofaş Science High School the same year. In 2023, the company announced that it would consolidate the commercial activities of all Stellantis brands under Tofaş.
From Wikipedia’s article on Tofaş, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4