- Business
- Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.S. (OTKAR.IS) designs, manufactures and markets commercial vehicles and defense industry products including urban, interurban and tourism buses such as Centro, Doruk, Vectio, Kent Electra and Doruk Electra; light trucks including the Atlas series; trailers, tankers and car transporters; and military vehicles encompassing tactical wheeled armored platforms like Arma 6x6, Arma 8x8, Akrep, Cobra II and Kaya, tracked armored vehicles, unmanned systems and turret systems. Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Arifiye, Sakarya, Turkey, with registered offices in Istanbul, the company, a subsidiary of Koc Holding A.S., operates production facilities in Turkey and exports to over 60 countries worldwide, serving public transportation, logistics, and defense sectors with a focus on in-house R&D for wheeled, tracked and hybrid/electric technologies. Recent developments include a November 2024 contract worth RON 4.26 billion to supply 1,059 Cobra II vehicles to Romania, followed by an April 2025 joint venture with Automecanica S.A. for local production of approximately 800 units in Medias starting late 2025; a March 2025 acquisition of Mauri Bus System S.r.l. in Italy to bolster European bus market presence with zero-emission vehicles; a November 2025 strategic cooperation agreement with Guardiaris for military vehicle simulators including Cobra II and Arma 8x8; and a production agreement with Daimler Buses, alongside steady European growth and successful testing of the autonomous e-Centro by TÜV Rheinland.