Automotive Hungary 2017 Expo opens in Budapest

The development of Hungary’s automotive industry will rely on systems integration involving the Visegrad Group of countries, Economy Minister Mihály Varga said, opening the Automotive Hungary 2017 expo in Budapest on Wednesday.

Boosting the automotive industry is a complex task involving manufacturers, suppliers, the energy sector, R+D, the government and municipalities alike, Varga noted, adding that

Hungary’s capabilities in these areas were strong, but slow reaction times could set the country back in the race for global advantage.

The minister said that the government is to spend 3 billion euros on R+D+I. A substantial part of this sum will also flow into the automotive industry, he said.

The government has designated auto industry centres in the country and launched dual vocational training, coupling theoretical with practice training in major plants, Varga said.

A record low unemployment rate, continuously rising wages and a stable budget are also creating a favourable environment, Varga said.

Hungary’s auto industry accounts for 20 percent of the country’s exports and employs almost 170,000 people.

Output in 2016 amounted to 25 billion euros, he noted. The greatest challenge of the coming years will be developing 5G technologies and electromobility, he added.

As we wrote on June, almost 50 government institutions, companies, business chambers, universities, research institutes and professional and civic organisations established a coalition to support the development of the next generation of mobile telecommunications technology in Hungary. The 5G Coalition was officially be established on June 19, 2017.

István Lepsényi, state secretary for economic development and regulation, said Hungary is committed to cooperation in the digital transformation of industries. The Hungarian government is allocating 17 billion forints (EUR 55.1m) to help Hungarian SMEs join the supply chain of large corporations.

Self-driving cars, the newest 5G advancements and the test track in Zalaegerszeg. Dr Zsolt Szalay is the director of Department of Automobiles and Vehicle Manufacturing at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, you can read HERE an interview with him.

Get more information about the Automotive expo HERE.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI