Ertex's story began with a craftsman's ambition to make travel more personal and comfortable. The VIP vehicle design now spoken of on a global scale began in 1989 in Ankara, with the imagination of a single craftsman.
A small workshop, a great passion
It all began in 1989, when Ercan Malkoç sewed seat covers for passenger cars. Within this seemingly ordinary work was an eye passionately devoted to detail and comfort.
"I can build these"
In 1991, his son Salih Malkoç was born. Around the same time, an American magazine came into Ercan Malkoç's hands. The limousines of those years in the magazine fascinated him: seats arranged in an L-shape, a classic bar section and a period CRT television. He gazed at the pictures for a long while, and a single sentence ran through his mind.
He had no limousine — but he had a dream
There was just one problem: he had no limousine. To gain more interior space, he bought a Hyundai minibus of the era. He cut, shaped and redesigned a domestic armchair from a classic furniture maker, turning it into an executive seat that could be sat in or reclined and positioned by hand. Across from it he placed a manually operated table; and across from that, the CRT television. He sewed curtains to cover the windows. He did all of this with his own hands, with a single assistant beside him.
The first journey: from Ankara to Antalya
When the vehicle was finished, his son Salih was just one year old. Ercan Malkoç took his wife and son along; together they set off for a seaside holiday in the south of Türkiye, towards Antalya. They stopped along the way, opened the table and ate their meals; when tired, they reclined the seat and rested; even little Salih's care was carried out inside that cabin. For the family, the vehicle had become a practical living space.
And an industry was born
When they returned to Ankara, everyone who saw the vehicle uttered the same sentence: "I want one of these too." That request marked the beginning of a growing bespoke vehicle business.
Over the years this vision grew; it developed with the Volkswagen Caravelle, then reached a wholly different, worldwide scale with the Mercedes Vito and V-Class. At the foundation of this field — now spoken of in the global market — lie the handiwork in that first minibus and a father's dream.
From a brand to a diversified group
This journey, which began in a single workshop, grew over time into Ertex Malkoç Holding. We carried our approach to automotive design — and the same meticulousness — into the other fields in which we invest:
Tourism
With our 300,000 m² facility, home to one of Türkiye's largest SPA centres, we offer our guests unforgettable accommodation experiences.
Construction
From the Yamaç Evler residences to Ertex Plaza and the Meets project in İncek, we build living and working spaces.
Retail
With the Batı Park Shopping Centre on the Ankara–Istanbul highway, we bring commerce together in a prime location.
This story, which once began in a single minibus, has today become a business serving clients around the world and a diversified group that creates value across multiple fields. We take pride in this journey — because we don't merely design vehicles; we turn a dream into a way of life.
