Q&A: Why Türkiye could become the next major market in the global race for autonomous mobility

Autonomous ride-hailing is emerging as one of the most closely watched developments in the global transportation industry. Early deployments have focused heavily on the United States and China. Now, as other markets are looking to become part of the autonomous mobility economy, Türkiye is positioning itself as one of the leaders.

Digital Journal sat down with Cankut Durgun, Co-Founder and President of Marti Technologies, Inc. (NYSE American: MRT), Türkiye’s leading mobility app, about why he believes the country’s levels of consumer demand, technology & manufacturing capabilities and regulatory approach could make it the new hub for artificial intelligence and autonomous-driving development.

Digital Journal: Autonomous vehicles have received enormous attention in the U.S. and China. What is driving global growth beyond these markets?

Cankut Durgun: Autonomous vehicles are ultimately going to be prevalent around the world, not just in the U.S. and China. The main driver is safety: autonomous vehicles have already proven themselves an order of magnitude safer than human drivers, and that safety record is what moves the technology from pilot projects to public priority. Over time, the second driver will be cost. The useful life of autonomous vehicles is being extended and vehicle costs are coming down relative to the cost of human drivers. This is why it makes sense that initial pilots take place in markets where human drivers are most expensive, and why deployment will eventually make economic sense everywhere. While the United States and China have been important places for the initial pilots, we are already seeing activity in other regions where the conditions are right for participation in the development of autonomous mobility.

DJ: What are some of the conditions needed for an emerging market to succeed in this space?

Durgun: For autonomous mobility to succeed in any market, you need to meet three critical conditions:

• Demand: Autonomous vehicles require high utilization because there are significant upfront fixed costs, so dense urban markets and substantial transportation demand are important.
• The technology and manufacturing capabilities to support the vehicles and necessary infrastructure, and
• A regulatory environment that allows the technology to be tested and eventually deployed.

DJ: You have described Türkiye as particularly well suited for autonomous vehicles. What gives the country that potential?

Durgun: Türkiye has nurtured the necessary conditions I just mentioned. First, it has a population of more than 85 million and several very large urban centers. Istanbul alone is one of Europe’s largest cities, and there is substantial demand for mobility services across the country. Second, Türkiye is already an important automotive manufacturing hub, with vehicles manufactured in the country being sold into European markets. And finally, we see a strong government interest in innovation and artificial intelligence, including regulatory initiatives that specifically address autonomous driving.

DJ: How important is regulation to the global expansion of autonomous ride-hailing?

Durgun: Regulation is fundamental. Autonomous vehicles cannot simply be deployed because the technology exists. There need to be clear rules covering testing, safety, deployment and eventually scaling. One reason we are encouraged about Türkiye is the attention being given to autonomous driving as part of the country’s artificial intelligence strategy. The Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Action Plan, signed into force by our President Erdoğan after being published by our Ministry of Industry and Technology in August 2026, includes multiple references to autonomous driving, covering areas from developing pilots to the requirements for scaling them and addressing safety.

We believe the combination of technological development and governments that are actively creating frameworks for innovation can accelerate the transition from pilot projects toward commercial applications.

DJ: Does the rise of autonomous mobility in the Gulf create opportunities for Marti beyond Türkiye?

Durgun: We certainly see the Gulf as an important region for autonomous mobility. Autonomous vehicle pilots are already taking place in markets such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Our immediate focus, however, is Türkiye. We want to establish technology-enabled mobility, including ride-hailing and eventually autonomous vehicles, broadly across the Turkish market before pursuing a larger regional expansion.

Once we have achieved that objective, we see opportunities in other regional markets. The important thing is to remain flexible. The pace of innovation in both physical AI and digital AI is extremely rapid, so we believe companies need to execute against shorter-term objectives while remaining opportunistic about new opportunities as they emerge.

DJ: China has become a major force in electric vehicles and autonomous technology. How does Marti compete in a market increasingly influenced by Chinese vehicle manufacturers?

Durgun: Türkiye has its own globally competitive national electric vehicle manufacturer, TOGG, and its subsidiary Trutek is actively working on building autonomous capabilities for its vehicles. We see a natural opportunity to add autonomous capabilities to Türkiye’s domestically manufactured vehicles. That could potentially create opportunities not only for the use of those vehicles in Türkiye but also for their export and use in other markets. That said, the autonomous mobility ecosystem is likely to involve multiple companies and technologies rather than a single country controlling every part of the value chain.

DJ: How does Marti’s existing ride-hailing business position the company for the autonomous era?

Durgun: Our platform gives autonomous vehicles the two things they need to be economically alive: demand and operations. On demand, the shape matters as much as the size. Ride-hailing demand is highly variable. Our hourly peak demand runs roughly 19 times our trough, and that shape tells you how the autonomous era will actually work. Autonomous vehicles carry significant upfront fixed costs, so they need high utilization; they are therefore best suited to serve the base load, the steady demand that keeps them working around the clock. A fleet sized for peak demand would sit unutilized most of the day and would be a poor economic investment. Human drivers, whose supply is naturally variable, will meet the delta between trough and peak. This means that human drivers remain an essential part of the system, not a transitional feature of it. To put numbers on it: we have more than 500 thousand registered ride-hailing drivers today, and we believe the market will eventually have over a million. By that logic, at steady state Türkiye should support over one hundred thousand autonomous vehicles serving its base demand. On operations, autonomous fleets need parking, charging, maintenance and field operations every day. This is infrastructure we have been running for tens of thousands of electric vehicles for seven years.

DJ: Is that why you recently announced a partnership with Tensor?

Durgun: Yes. Tensor is our first partner in building the Türkiye Autonomous Vehicle Alliance. Tensor’s Level 4 autonomous vehicle is designed for both personal ownership and professional fleet operations, and is already designed to integrate with ride-hailing networks. We plan to deploy Tensor autonomous vehicles on Marti’s mobility platform in cities across Türkiye. The alliance itself is deliberately supplier-agnostic: we are in discussions with additional autonomous vehicle technology and vehicle providers, because we want to help build an ecosystem rather than depend on a single technology. The division of labor is clear. Marti brings the aggregated rider demand of Türkiye’s number-one mobility app and the operational infrastructure autonomous fleets need every day, and our partners bring the autonomy technology.

DJ: What would success look like for Türkiye in the global autonomous mobility race?

Durgun: For us, success begins with making technology-enabled mobility widespread throughout Türkiye. That includes ride-hailing and, as the technology and regulatory environment develop, autonomous vehicles. We believe Türkiye has the demand, automotive capabilities and regulatory foundation to become a leading autonomous mobility market. Our objective is to help establish that ecosystem.