Türkiye exported 25.6 billion dollars in July, up 2.9 per cent year on year. Exports for the first seven months reached 161.6 billion, and the annualised figure climbed to an all-time high of 278.6 billion dollars. Automotive led the month with 3.586 billion.
Three realities behind the number
1. The record is in volume, not in margin
A 2.9 per cent increase lags behind cost inflation over the same period. The feedback from our members is clear: turnover is growing, margins are narrowing.
2. Automotive is the locomotive — and it is alone
Reaching 3.6 billion dollars in a single month is good news for Marmara: most of it is produced by the OEM and supplier network in Kocaeli, Bursa and Sakarya. But dependence on a single sector would hit the region disproportionately in a European slowdown, which is why market diversification is a priority for our committees.
3. A new cost line: carbon
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its financial phase on 1 January 2026. Sustaining the export record depends on how many firms can produce product-level carbon data.
Figures compiled from the public export statistics of the Ministry of Trade and TİM. The assessment is MAİD’s own.