Karsan ( English: Karsan Automotive Industry and Trade Joint-Stock Company) is a Turkish

commercial vehicle A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. Depending on laws and designations, a commercial vehicle can be any broad type of motor vehicle used commercially or for business purposes. Classi ...

s manufacturer, based in Akçalar,

Nilüfer Nilüfer is the Turkish word for "water lily", from Persian ''nîlûfar'' (نیلوفر), which is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word for the blue lotus ''nīḷōtpaḷa'' (नीळोत्पळ). It is a popular feminine given name ...

Bursa Province Bursa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir Province, Balıkesir to the west, K ...

. "Karsan" is an acronym for "Karoseri Sanayii" (English: Carrosserie/Bodyworks Industry).

History

Karsan was founded in 1966 in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, to produce

light commercial vehicles A light commercial vehicle (LCV) in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand is a commercial carrier vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 Tonne, metric tons (tonnes). The LCV designation is also occasionally used in both ...

. Koç Group assumed management control of the company between 1979-1998. Later on, Kıraça Group took over the company in 1998 by acquiring the majority of the shares under the leadership of İnan Kıraç. Karsan, owned by 100% Turkish capital, produces and sells

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

light commercial vehicles under a licensing agreement with the French manufacturer, as well as the

Fiat Ducato The Fiat Ducato is a light commercial vehicle jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group (currently Stellantis), and mainly manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture between the two companies since 1981. It has also been sold as the Citroën C ...

and its rebadged version the

Peugeot Boxer Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

. In addition to these, Karsan produces and sells specialised vehicles such as ambulances, taxis, patrol vehicles and 4x4s. Karsan also has cooperations with

Hyundai Hyundai is a former South Korean industrial conglomerate ("''chaebol''"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Asan, a real estate construction ...

for light trucks manufacture, with

Renault Trucks Renault Trucks was a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it was a subsidiary of Volvo since 2001. In July 2024, John Cockerill (company) completed the takeover ...

for long-distance trailer-trucks and with

BredaMenarinibus BredaMenarinibus S.p.A. was a bus manufacturer based in Bologna, Italy. The company was established in 1989 through the merger of Bredabus, the bus and coach divisions of Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, heir of the consortium Inbus (Industrie Aut ...

for bus manufacture. Karsan's V-1 was one of three finalists, alongside the

Ford Transit Connect The Ford Transit Connect is a compact panel van sold by Ford since 2002. Developed by Ford of Europe, the model line replaced sedan-based vans ( Ford Escort and Ford Courier vans) with a dedicated commercial vehicle platform. The model lin ...

and

Nissan NV200 The Nissan NV200 is a light commercial vehicle, light commercial and leisure activity vehicle, leisure activity, 4/5-door van designed and produced by the Japanese automaker Nissan since 2009. Overview The vehicle was previewed as the NV200 C ...

, for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Taxi of Tomorrow Taxicabs in New York City come in two varieties: yellow and green; they are widely recognizable symbols of the city. Taxis painted yellow (medallion taxis) are able to pick up passengers anywhere in the five boroughs. Taxis painted apple green (s ...

. The Nissan NV200 was announced the winning model on 3 May 2011. At the end of 2010, the J9 Premier minibus was replaced with the

Karsan J10 The Karsan J10 is a minibus produced by the Turkish commercial vehicles manufacturer Karsan from 2010 to 2015. Overview It is the successor of the Karsan J9 Premier that was based on the platform of the 1980s' Peugeot J9. It is available i ...

, available in three body versions-with 14, 17 or 20 seats, and powered by a Euro 4 common rail 2,3 liter diesel engine of

Iveco Iveco S.p.A., an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company with headquarters in Turin, Italy. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy Commercial vehicle, commercial veh ...

origin. At the end of 2013, the J10 minibus has been replaced by the Karsan Jest. In December 2018 the company acquired the 70% of

Industria Italiana Autobus BredaMenarinibus S.p.A. was a bus manufacturer based in Bologna, Italy. The company was established in 1989 through the merger of Bredabus, the bus and coach divisions of Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, heir of the consortium Inbus (Industrie Auto ...

through a capital increase. The following month, after a meeting with Ministry of Economic Development, the participation in IIA fell to 20%.

Current models

(2001–unknown) *

(2001–present) *Hyundai Truck (2007–present) *BredaMenarinibus Vivacity (2010–present) *BredaMenarinibus Avancity (2010–present) *Menarinibus CITYMOOD (2014–present) *Karsan V-1 (prototype) *

Karsan Jest The Karsan Jest is a low-floor minibus produced by Turkish automobile company Karsan. History The Karsan Jest started production in 2013. It was designed by Karsan affiliate ''Hexagon Studio.'' Production is based in Bursa, Akçalar. 70% of th ...

(2013–present) *Karsan e-Jest (2018–present) *Karsan Atak (2014–present) *Karsan e-Atak (2021–present) *Karsan Star (2014–present) *

Hyundai H350 The Hyundai H350, also known as the Hyundai Solati in South Korea and Vietnam, and Hyundai Solati H350 in Mexico, is a light commercial 5-door van manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai. The vehicle was introduced at the 2014 H ...

(2015–present) *

Renault Megane Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company currently produces a range of cars and vans. It has ...

IV Sedan (2022-present) *Karsan e-ATA (20xx-present) *Karsan e-ATA Hydrogen (2022–present)

Former models

Peugeot J9 The Peugeot J9 is a van manufactured by Peugeot from January 1981 until 1991. It was also manufactured under license by commercial vehicles manufacturer Karsan in Turkey, from 1981 until 2010. After a facelift in 1991, in 2006, Karsan released the ...

(1981–2006) *

Peugeot Partner Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

(1997–2013) * Karsan J9 Premier (2006–2010) *

Citroën Berlingo The Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner are a range of vans produced since 1996 and marketed under the Citroën and Peugeot marques. They are sold as light commercial vehicles or as a passenger Minivan, multi-purpose-vehicle variant with rear ...

(2008–2013) *

Renault Premium The Renault Premium is a heavy-duty truck that was produced by the French Manufacturer Renault Véhicules Industriels and later Renault Trucks (also part of Renault, now Volvo) from 1996 to 2014. It was sold alongside the Renault Magnum as a ...

(2008–2013) *

Renault Kerax The Renault Kerax is a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufactured by Renault Trucks, aimed at the construction industry, and is available as a rigid body or tractor configuration. It was launched in 1997, and underwent a full upgrade in 2006. Produ ...

(2009–2013) *

(2010–2015)

Karsan worldwide

File:Karsan Jestronic Kleinbusse.jpg, Karsan Jestronic in Switzerland File:Микроавтобус электробус Karsan e-Jest в Вильнюсе маршрут 89.jpg, Karsan e-Jest in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Lithuania File:Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac - 73800 - 2018.10.08 - Nav’Espace - SAT - Karsan Star © Anthony Levrot.jpg, Karsan Star in France File:Karsan e-Jest.jpg, Karsan e-Jest in Poland File:916-os busz (NCV-294).jpg, Karsan Atak in Hungary File:KarsanJestGalati.jpg, Karsan Jest in Romania File:Graz, Schienenersatzverkehr für Schlossbergbahn, 1.jpeg, Karsan Jest in Austria File:KARSAN e-JEST (Japan version-Prototype) at Bus Tech Forum Metropolitan 2024.jpg, Karsan in Japan File:Istanbul minibus 04.jpg, Karsan in Istanbul, Turkiye File:Autobus Karsan - Brasov.jpg, Karsan E-ATA in

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

, Romania

References

External links