Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that despite global challenges, Hungary's automotive industry continues to perform well and remains the engine of economic growth.
Opening the Automotive Industry Conference, Minister Szijjártó said BMW would start production in Debrecen (E Hungary) in September, while the joining of Mercedes' two plants in Kecskemet (C Hungary) in a few months would make the base the carmaker's biggest outside of China.
Minister Szijjártó added that Audi's base in Győr (W Hungary) was operating at full capacity, the Stellantis plant in Szentgotthárd (W Hungary) could barely keep up with its orders, and the Suzuki factory in Esztergom (N Hungary) was undergoing a government-supported upgrade.
China's BYD is building its first European plant in Hungary, and five of the ten biggest battery makers in the world have decided to bring manufacturing capacity to Hungary, he said.
Soon, Hungary will be able to turn out more than 1 million cars and over 2 million engines a year, while it will have the second-largest battery manufacturing capacity in the world, he added.
Last year, the output of Hungary's automotive industry reached HUF 13,700bn. In the past eleven years, the government has supported 244 big investments in the sector.
Hungary's government continues to view automotive industry players as strategic allies, and will offer all support available to ensure their success in future, Minister Szijjártó said.
He called out decision-makers in Brussels for "politicising" economic issues and isolating the European Union in the global economy. For the automotive industry, there is "no alternative to normal global cooperation", he added.
Minister Szijjártó said there was "no going back" with regard to electromobility, although the pace of the shift could vary. He added that the technology transition required Europe's automotive industry to cooperate globally.
Hungary has become a "meeting point" for companies from East and West and an example for the success of the automotive industry, he said, highlighting local manufacturing partnerships between German and Chinese companies.
Istvan Joo, the CEO of the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA), which organised the conference, said an automotive industry ecosystem had taken shape in Hungary along with conventional investments. Cooperation between companies and universities, and vocational schools is on the increase, R+D projects are launching, and infrastructure around factories is being upgraded, he added.
Joo dismissed the suggestion that Hungary was just an assembly plant, pointing to the presence of cutting-edge technology, high salaries and R+D capacities in the automotive industry.
The conference was organised with the support of the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DUIHK).