Hungarian automotive industry: week 50 2018 edition
December 6th saw the end of wage talks at Mercedes Kecskemét: various elements of the two-year agreement have now been made public. Let’s recap what last week brought in Hungary’s automotive sector.
ITK Holding affiliate Inter Traction Electrics has made its official debut with the prototype of the Reform 501 LE tow-door suburban bus, fitted with a Euro 6 diesel engine and built on a Mercedes chassis.
According to a two-year agreement, Mercedes will increase the base wage of employees at its Kecskemét plant by 35 percent in certain wage grades starting from January 2019.
Employees will get a HUF 320,000 holiday bonus and full payment of the 13th-month wage after 1 year of employment, while cafeteria benefits will amount to HUF 340,000 on SZÉP cards or HUF 280,000 in cash, before taxes.
The first BYD e-bus manufactured at the Chinese manufacturer’s Komárom plant, inaugurated just last year, has rolled off the production line. The 12-metre long electric bus has a passenger capacity of 85 and a range of 250 kilometres with a single charge.
Linamar has announced to create 17.6 new jobs by building a new plant in Békéscsaba with a HUF 17.6 billion investment.
“I joined as an industrial engineer in January 2016, but two months later my position changed and I became a process engineer, while in October 2016 I became head of process engineering, which usually focuses on tasks related to the introduction of new projects.
"My team is engaged in production line design and installation. I travel a lot in my work, as we deliver these technologies to several Johnson Electric locations. I love my job and I have long-term plans at the company,” Johnson Electric engineer Tibor Csütörtöki told us in an interview. Just a few years ago he participated in our Techtogether competition as an engineer student.
Videoton is expecting an annual revenue of HUF 188 billion this year.
Engineering firm QFD Mérnöki Tanácsadó Iroda Kft. will hold an international supplier workshop in Győr on 11 January 2019.
“The revision of relevant legislation will assist vehicle developers and take a measurable and significant administrative burden off their shoulders. This sends out a message that could increase both the number of registered vehicle developers and the intensity of tests in the future,” Dr. Csaba Nyalka, associate lawyer at DLA Piper Hungary, told us in an interview. We sat down to discuss a new legislation concerning autonomous vehicles, passed in mid-November and to be taking effect within the end of the year.
“In the first 10 months we were able to increase our sales volume by 10 percent, and while limousine cars are generally declining at other brands, the Astra limousine is holding its position. While both the Corsa and Astra models are performing well in their respective segments – especially in the SME sector –, the Insignia has achieved a significant, over 70 percent improvement from the same period last year. This year, Crossland X Grandland X and Mokka X SUVs also sold 50 percent more,” Gergely Bakai, head of Opel Hungary, told us in an interview.
It is a positive development that year after year there is an increasing number of talented girls opting to continue their studies in technical fields. We have recently held this year’s Techtogether competition, where a significant portion of participating teams comprised female students.
This has been our last weekly recap of the Hungarian automotive industry in the year 2018. The Autopro.hu staff wishes all its readers Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
We will be back with more news from Hungary's automotive sector in 2019.
