Hungarian automotive industry: week 11 2022
Fotó: Mercedes me media
Automotive manufacturers hit by the effects of the war in Ukraine, Sisecam announces large-scale investment in Kaposvár, new industrial park opened in Csurgó. Let’s recap what last week brought in Hungary’s automotive sector. Clicking on the highlighted items will open the full stories.
The military conflict in Ukraine is taking its toll on the operation of Hungarian automotive manufacturers. Earlier on, Audi Hungaria revealed that the conflict would likely be causing disruptions in parts supply, while last week the Hungarian plants of Mercedes and Suzuki disclosed information on the difficulties they are facing.
The German OEM’s Kecsemét plant was forced to scale down on shifts due to parts shortages, while Suzuki had to halt exporting cars to Ukraine and Russia.
Despite the challenges of the semiconductor shortage and the global pandemic, Audi Hungaria reported on a successful fiscal 2021, with 171,015 cars manufactured, which is a new record for the Győr-based unit.
A new investment by Turkey-based glass producer Sisecam Group will create more than 300 automotive jobs in Kaposvár. In addition to the number of positions created, its total value of HUF 85 billion makes the investment an important milestone for the company.
Volkswagen has said that in light of the conflict in Ukraine it will soon be forced to revise its projections for 2022 if they cannot find alternative resources for parts supply fast enough.
Russia's military invasion in Ukraine is also affecting many other manufacturers, including BMW, forcing the Bavarian OEM to lower its profit expectations and calculate with hundreds of millions of euros in surplus costs due to the sharp increase in commodity prices.
Last week, the European Commission’s antitrust regulators raided several automotive companies and associations on suspicion of breaching cartel rules with the collection, treatment and recovery of end-of-life cars and vans.
Bridgestone has halted production in Russia indefinitely due to its invasion of Ukraine. The tyre manufacturer has also suspended its export activities to the country.
In the European Union, the volume of new car registrations declined for the eighth consecutive month in February due to the widely reported disruptions in the global supply chain. In Hungary, the decrease was above average.
A new industrial park has been inaugurated in Csurgó. Built with a EU support of HUF 450 million, the 8.5-hectare park can be further expanded in the future.
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