Otokar

Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.Ş.

Type	subsidiary
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1963
Headquarters	Sakarya, Turkey
Key people	Kudret Onen (Chairman) Serdar Görgüç (CEO)
Products	Minibuses Buses Off-road vehicles Trailers Military vehicles
Revenue	1.004 billion (2012)
Number of employees	2300
Parent	Koç Holding
Website	otokar.com.tr

Otokar Otomotiv ve Savunma Sanayi A.Ş., also known simply as Otokar, is a Turkish buses and military vehicles manufacturer headquartered in Sakarya, Turkey and a subsidiary of Koç Holding.

Otokar began business in 1963 as Turkey's first intercity bus manufacturing company under the license of Magirus Deutz of Istanbul. Otokar was noted for manufacturing the most modern buses and modern intercity vehicles for that period. During the 1970s, Otokar launched air-cooled minibuses with Deutz AG engines. During this period, Turkey's largest conglomerate Koç Holding purchased the majority of Otokar shares. Within its mass transportation strategies, in the early 1980s, Otokar added the inner-city bus to its product line.

In the early 1980s, Otokar began inner-city bus production and in the mid-1980s, Otokar manufactured the first Turkish armored vehicle as an armored car. In 1987, the Turkish Armed Forces had Otokar manufacture military Land Rover Defenders in Turkey in agreement with Land Rover.

In the early 1990s, Otokar developed the Otokar Armored Personnel Carrier, Otokar Akrep, and Otokar Cobra; Turkey's first 4x4 light-armored tactical wheeled vehicles by combining its armor technology with its experience in military vehicles. In 1997, Otokar moved to its new plant in Sakarya, Arifiye.

In 2002, Otokar acquired a trailer and semi-trailer production company from Koç Group Company of Istanbul Fruehauf A.S. Later in 2002, with its experience in public transportation Otokar developed the small bus called the Navigo which is marketed in Turkey with Sultan brand. In 2003, Otokar initiated a cooperation with Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) for the new 8x8 tactical armored vehicle Otokar Yavuz. In 2005 Otokar widened its line of armored vehicles.