ISTANBUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Turkish markets traded mixed on Thursday with concerns about inflation and bond issuance weighing on debt markets, while automotive shares fell after week October sales data.

The lira firmed slightly to 1.4930 against the dollar in interbank trade from a close of 1.4935 on Wednesday. The currency has made only slim gains this year, and has slipped from a 2009 high of 1.4389 in mid-October.

After recent worries about government borrowing plans, bond market attention was focused on two swap auctions which the Treasury holds on Thursday for March 3, 2010 paper, and a February 17, 2010, bond.

The yield on the benchmark Aug. 3, 2011 bond rose to 8.90 percent from 8.86 percent. Concerns about high levels of government borrowing have lifted yields from 7.59 percent in early October.

'The lira could well drift back to the 1.50 level against the dollar, with local rates also pushing higher, after moving up to the 8.87 percent on the back of less encouraging trends on inflation,' said Royal Bank of Scotland economist Timothy Ash.

Consumer prices rose 2.41 percent month-on-month in October, exceeding a forecast of 1.80 percent, data showed on Tuesday.

The main share index fell 1.95 percent to 46,358.49, after rising 2.04 percent on Wednesday. It underperformed the MSCI index of emerging markets, which fell 0.62 percent.

Automotive shares fell after data from the Automotive Distributors Association showed sales of passenger vehicles fell 30.1 percent in October, while light commercial vehicles fell 45 percent.

The decline followed the expiry of temporary tax breaks designed to help the sector through a sharp slowdown in Turkey's domestic and export markets.

Tofas fell 2.6 percent to 3.78 lira, Ford Otosan dropped 1.7 percent to 8.6 lira and Otokar fell 3.6 percent to 13.6 lira.

Turkcell, Turkey's biggest mobile-phone operator, fell 1.94 percent to 10.10 lira after it postponed the release of its third-quarter financial results until Nov 12 due to 'technical reasons.' It is expected to see a 42 percent fall in net profit, according to a Reuters poll of 13 analysts.

Bank Asya fell 0.64 percent to 3.10 lira. The Islamic lender posted a 25 percent rise in its third-quarter profit to 77.5 million lira, according to an income statement on Wednesday.

Dogan Holding rose 0.95 percent to 1.06 lira, and its news company Dogan Yayin climbed 1.53 percent to 1.33 lira. Dogan Holding will exercise its 'legal rights' to fight what it considers an unfair media campaign over its $3.3 billion tax fine, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

(Writing by Daren Butler; editing by Patrick Graham) Keywords: MARKETS TURKEY/

(daren.butler@reuters.com; +90 212 350 7057; Reuters Messaging: daren.butler.reuters.com@reuters.net)

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