ANKARA - Following are highlights from today`s Turkish daily Sabah. The Anadolu Agency is not responsible for opinions expressed or the context of the news story and does not vouch for their accuracy.
LPG (liquified petroleum gas) powered cars have become favorite of ordinary Turkish drivers since they could provide a saving of nearly 35 percent when compared to fuel oil. Continuous hikes in oil prices boosted the demand in LPG- powered cars, and manufacturers have begun offering models that run on LPG. Daihatsu, Lada and Proton joined the market of LPG- powered cars pioneered by Chevrolet and Fiat.
The daily says that number of LPG powered cars climbed to 1.8 million in 2007 from 800 thousand in 2004. It seems that car manufacturers will double this number in the coming years. Number of LPG powered cars (in Turkey) is expected to reach 2 million in 2008.
Meanwhile, consumption of autogas climbed 7 percent to 440 thousand tonnes in the first three months of 2008 from 418 thousand tonnes in the same period, previous year.
Chevrolet increased six folds its sale of LPG powered cars in 2008. The daily quotes Murat Aydin, sales manager of Chevrolet- Turkey, as saying, "we sold 702 LPG powered cars last year. Number of LPG powered cars we sold in the first four months of 2008 reached 704. Increase in fuel oil prices is not the only reason. Our marketing tactics also fueled the sales."
(UK-ULG)