“I Shall Take Driving Lessons From Turks”

Volvo Car Türkiye General Manager Torben Eckardt, who came to Turkey just four months ago, manages fully 18 countries from İstanbul. Together with his wife and 10 year-old twins, he lives in Zekeriyaköy, one of the İstanbul’s greenest neighbourhoods. Eckardt, who is a real golf fanatic, is an admirer not just of İstanbul but also of the way İstanbul drivers manoeuvre in the traffic… He says: “I am thinking of taking lessons from Turkish drivers.”

You came to Turkey last August? Have you got used to Istanbul?
We came from Switzerland at the beginning of August. We stayed in a hotel until the end of August. And later we got our own house and settled in as a family. It is the first time I have been to Turkey and it has still been a very shot time.

The traffic is always seen as one of Turkey’s greatest disadvantages. How do you cope with this problem?
In fact, as I have not been living here very long, I am not an expert but as an amateur I can say this: All of the world’s big cities have a traffic problem. This is nothing new. The İstanbul traffic really is a problem. The vast majority of people I speak with who live in İstanbul mention the traffic problem. The people who live in and administer İstanbul have a great responsibility when it comes to solving the traffic problem. I think that first of all the logistical system should be reorganized.

So what do you think about Turkish drivers?
My general impression is that they are very good drivers. Moreover, they are able to make their own special manoeuvres. It is a very interesting situation and one which we were not expecting. They have their own special driving style. I should definitely take lessons from them. But generally they are good drivers. There is just a small dangerous group and they can put everybody’s lives in danger.

How do you socialize in Turkey?
I am a member of Capital magazine’s Expat Suite. I am someone who plays golf and loves open air sports. Winter is coming and at the moment I don’t know how I am going to spend my time.

What is Turkey’s importance for Volvo?
We are also a very important automobile manufacturer. This is a very big advantage. We have a lot of automotive production plants. You can create business and revenue. In addition, there are 70 million people living in Turkey. This creates a lot of opportunities for many automotive businesses. Turkey has the characteristics of a growing market. The low penetration rate is a great advantage. If we compare the consumption rates in northern Europe and Turkey then you see that there is a large gap. As the years pass you will see that the investments made in Turkey will increase.

How would you compare Turkey with other countries when it comes to concepts of business management?
I have worked in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the US. In these countries the executives always try to reach a consensus. But they are not talented when it comes to taking risks. I think Turkish personnel are more flexible. Because they know that everything can change at any moment, when things change suddenly they are able to take decisions and manage risk more easily.

Hande Yavuz
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