Hungarian automotive industry: week 18
Audi showcases top variant of the new TT, Autopro visits Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét and Hungary’s bus manufacturing sees revival. Week 18 also brought automotive investments and new vocational training courses.
Manufacturers
Following the announcement of a new €580 million investment, last week we made a visit to the assembly and body shops of Kecskemét-based Mercedes Benz plant. See our gallery from the German car maker’s Hungarian unit.
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The top variant of the new Audi TT model family, the 400 bhp TT RS was unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show, showcasing the most powerful TT to be manufactured at the German car maker's Hungarian location.
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Hungary’s bus manufacturing is experiencing a revival. In an overview we took a look at the bus manufacturing industry’s current state, where prominent players of the sector said that we must have belief in the segment’s success.
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| An overview of Hungary's bus manufacturing - Gallery |
Suppliers
Alumetal held a topping out ceremony for its new HUF 1 billion greenfield investment in Komárom, just after the facility’s main structure had been finished. Production at the new plant is expected to start later this year.
Ecseri Kft., aluminium foundry and manufacturer of accessories for the automotive, machine and electronics industries, will create 250 jobs with an approximately €21 million investment in Cegléd.
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Service providers
The Association of the Hungarian Automotive Industry (AHAI) held its benchmarking meeting at Sárvár-based Flex, where the main topics were automation and the development of human-operated technologies.
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| Torma András, Rector of the University of Miskolc, and Ferenc Rózsahegyi, deputy notary public of Sátoraljaújhely |
At the event we interviewed Péter Stasztny, representative of SMR Automotive Mirror Technology Hungary Bt.
The German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK) elected automotive top management members to its presidency, including Javier González Pareja, CEO of Robert Bosch Kft., Peter Kössler, president of Audi Hungaria Motor Kft.’s board of directors, and Christian Wolff, president of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary Kft.’s board of directors.
According to Earl Hesterberg, CEO of Group 1, the largest retail group in the U.S., actual demand should play a much larger role when specifying production volumes in the industry.
In April, 8,061 new passenger cars were registered in Hungary, 19.7 percent more than in the same period last year, the Hungarian Vehicle Importers Association (MGE) reported last week.
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| Hungarian new car registrations up in April |
Education
It was announced last week that a mechanical engineering course will be launched in Sátoraljaújhely in the cooperation of the University of Miskolc.
Rector Torma András and Ferenc Rózsahegyi, deputy notary public of Sátoraljaújhely, said starting a mechanical engineering course is of utmost importance in the region.
Economy
Year-on-year, the volume of industrial production was down by 4.6 percent in March, according to a report published by the Central Statistical Office. Analysts say this is nothing to worry about.
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According to a survey published recently, one quarter of all small and medium-sized enterprises do not hold general insurance. From 2013, the proportion of companies with general insurance only slightly increased from 72 to 76 percent.
