Istanbul (dpa) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan introduced Turkey's first domestically-developed electric car on Friday, with plans for it to hit the road in 2022 with a total investment of 3.7 billion dollars.

“Today we are witnessing a historical day for our country, witnessing Turkey’s dream for 60 years come true,” Erdogan said in Gebze IT hub near Istanbul.

It will be Turkey's first attempt to put a car into mass production following a failed attempt in the 60s, Erdogan added.

A factory in the north-western city of Bursa, some 150 kilometres to south of Istanbul, is expected to produce up to 175,000 units per year, employing more than 4,000 workers, according to a presidential decree published on the Official Gazette on Friday.

The government offers land allocation, tax exemptions and a purchase guarantee of 30,000 cars until the end of 2035, according to the decree.

Erdogan did not announce how much the car would cost.

Several global brands, including Toyota and Hyundai, already produce cars in Turkey, much of it exported to Europe, including Germany and Italy.

“We have been saying for years that Turkey needs to produce its own car, that we deserve better than being assemblers," Erdogan said ahead of the introduction of a SUV and sedan model with a sound and light show.