Turkish automotive sector, which is often described as "the engine" of the country's economy, saw a 42.4 percent increase in the first half of 2008, and reached 13.6 billion USD, according to figures released by an exporters' union.

The increase in the January-June period surmounted the total export figures of the Turkish automotive sector for 2005, which was around 12 billion USD.

Germany was the biggest buyer of Turkish automotive products with a 1.9 billion USD, followed by France, Italy, Britain and Russia.

AA