Hungary's automotive industry has reported a record high output of 7,874 billion HUF (25.5 billion EUR) in 2016, the foreign minister has said.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, revealed the latest figures during a visit to Audi Hungaria plant in Győr, in northwestern Hungary, and said the German carmaker's latest investments could further boost output.
Audi Hungaria will soon begin production of electric powertrains and the Q3 compact crossover vehicle. Mass production of the model will start next year and production of the new Q4 model will begin in 2019. Tractions technology for Audi’s first electric cars will also be produced entirely in Hungary in the future.
Minister Szijjártó said Audi would spend the equivalent of 10 billion HUF on training 1,000 new workers who will be assigned to the production of electric powertrains. They will also invest the equivalent of 100 billion HUF in a new chassis production hall, he added.
Audi manufactures TT Coupe models, TT Roadsters, Audi A3 Limousines and Audi A3 Cabriolets in Győr. The carmaker announced last year that it would move the production of the Q3 model from Spain to Győr. It announced in April this year that mass production of the Q4 would begin in 2019.