Hungarian automotive industry: week 44

We tested the latest-generation Ford Mondeo. The car has been available in the U.S under the Fusion name for a year, it is also sold with a hybrid drivetrain, with a new engine and a plethora of driver-assist systems, including the new Pedestrian Detection system.

Mercedes-Benz CLA received poor ratings on U.S.-based Consumer Reports, which ranked the Kecskemét-built car among the least reliable cars of the year. The results are quite indicative as 1,078,364 cars took part in CR's latest survey.

2014 is certainly not a year than GM will want to remember in the future. It's becoming difficult for the company to clear its name as more and more deaths are linked to the company's postponement to replace the faulty ignition switches causing problems in the automaker's cars.

Chrysler first announced to recall 33,000 light trucks and then another recall was issued affecting 500,000 pickups due to problems that may cause fire in some cases. Volkswagen was also in the news last week after it had crushed hundreds of Passats as a result of the faulty operation of robots at the car maker's Emden plant.

Last week, we visited Sopron-based plastic parts manufacturer Duroset. The main activities of Sopron-based and Austrian-owned Duroset are tools manufacturing and the processing technology of thermoplastics and duroplastics.

A supplier conference was held in the last week of October in Győr, Hungary, where a number of speakers described the trends shaping the present and future of the automotive sector.

Last week, we interviewed Attila Szincsák, the financial and commercial director of Székesfehérvár-based Denso, about the company's activities in the past 15 years, future plans and technological innovations.

The Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) and Győr-based Automotive Research Centre have launched a training programme to promote supplier development dubbed TierUp!

Logistics service provider Gefco Hungary and Révész Automotive Trans Kft., member of the Révész Group, have renewed their strategic partnership agreegement. Within the scopes of the collaboration, Gefco, as a subcontractor, undertakes the delivery of several European-made cars to local logistics centres in various countries.

VW honoured its best apprentices with its Best Apprentice Award. One of the awards went to György Víg, a Hungarian vehicle electrician apprentice at Győr-based Audi Hungaria.

November 5 will see the opening of automotive trade fair Automotive Hungary 2014 and simultaneously student team competition TechTogether, organised by our site.

By connecting computing capacity in Hungary, a development consortium led by the University of Szeged has created the National Virtual Laboratory to facilitate research activities.

London analysts have significantly downgraded their growth projection for Central Europe.

Hungary's private sector may see 2.8% average wage hike in 2014, according to a new report by HR consultancy Hay Group.

Hungary’s Ministry for National Economy has handed over the 2015 draft budget to the Parliament. The government is expecting a 1.3 percent increase in employment for 2015. The draft projects a moderate, 1.8 percent rise in inflation, which is higher than this year's figure.

The deficit target was set to 2.4% of GDP, while at 8.4 percent, net lending is expected to be well over 5 percent above the GDP. Econmy Minister Mihály Varga is cautiously optimistic about next year's budget cycle and is expecting a 2.5 percent growth.

After a tendency of weakening the forint finally gained some strength by Friday, however looking at the entire week Hungary's currency was flat against the euro at 308.