Hungarian automotive industry: week 21 2019 edition

The frame structure of Continental’s new plant in Debrecen is almost complete, and the construction of annex buildings is also already under way. Currently, constructions are ongoing on office facilities, and the unit is soon to reach its highest point.

Graboplast has developed a special flooring for electric buses. The material is extremely resistant to burning and heat, which makes it more fire-resistant than other products.

India-based Samvardhana Motherson Group has carried out a new investment in Hungary: the company has built an injection moulding plant in Túrkeve.

It was rumoured earlier that two large German car makers would postpone their investments in Hungary. The Kecskemét-based Mercedes plant denied the news by saying the construction of the second plant is under way, while BMW also refuted the claims, adding that the investment in Debrecen is going according to plan.

Two new Kravtex-Kühne buses have been added the the public transport fleet in Tatabánya. The vehicles are largely made up of Hungarian parts.

Five locally assembled Mercedes-Benz Conecto G articulated buses have been delivered by Inter Traction Electrics Kft. to the local bus transport company.

Audi has announced to phase out the Audi TT from its model range to introduce an electric model in its place.

Demand on diesel engines has declined, Opel sees the future in petrol units. Preparations on the production and assembly lines are well under way for the manufacturing of Opel’s new 1.2-litre petrol engine, which is scheduled to launch at the end of the year.

According to a new study, Americans are very dismissive of self-driving vehicles. To gauge the Hungarian climate, autopro.hu has made a survey, in which it is revealed that Hungarians cling on to the steering wheel and are not interested in autonomous technologies.

“The rubber bitumen patent developed at the University of Pannonia has been bought by Mol, on the basis of which it has designed a new plant and held the ground-breaking ceremony on May 2nd in Zalaegerszeg. The plant is scheduled to launch production using the patent from Veszprém with an annual capacity of 20,000 tons,” Sándor Németh, head of the University of Pannonia’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, told us in an interview.

Employees plan on staying 3-4 months at a company, and then move on to the next for a few euros more. We asked three experts about the so-called jobhopper symptom. The conclusion: it is not the employees who are unable to make a commitment, it is the companies that are unable to keep them.

MIAS, a company engaged in the production of automated logistics machinery, has announced to expand its site in Gyöngyös. The investment is driven by increasing demand on the company’s products.

The first construction phase of the autonomous test track in Zalaegerszeg has been concluded, including the smart city’s first, five-hectare testing area and a 2,000sqm technical facility. The second phase is scheduled to be completed next year.

The Hungarian police force has received 450 new Skoda and 50 new Audi cars: the patrol cars are equipped with a compartment for body armour vests and vehicle tracking devices.

Large OEMs, including BMW and Honda, are relying on the know-how of a Hungarian engineering firm with a headcount of 70. The team allowed Honda to achieve a significant, 25 percent weight reduction, while BMW contracted the firm to perform crash test validation.

Bertalan Balogh has replaced Zsuzsa Fieszl as the secretary general of the Association of Hungarian Vehicle Component Manufacturers (MAJOSZ).

The area in Debrecen which will be the location BMW’s new investment is now a property of the local government.

The Hungarian representative of metalworking trade fair EMO Hannover 2019 has announced to provide companies who sign up to participate in the Hannover event with services at a value of €1,000.