auto industry
March 08, 2010, 09:46 CET
College, university students call Audi Hungaria "most attractive workplace"
Audi Hungaria has been named "most attractive workplace" in a survey of university and college students for the second time, the Hungarian unit of German car maker Audi told MTI on Friday. The survey was conducted by AISEC of 5,000... [read complete entry]
March 04, 2010, 10:06 CET
Suzuki to recall 6,230 cars in Hungary
Japanese car maker Suzuki will recall and check the position of the fuel pipes of around 39,000 1.3- and 1.5-litre Swift models made at its plant in Esztergom between the autumn of 2007 and the spring of 2008, PR director... [read complete entry]
March 02, 2010, 09:52 CET
Magyar Suzuki calls local auto sales "shockingly low"
Magyar Suzuki Zrt, the Hungarian unit of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation, does not expect an increase of car sales in Hungary in 2010, Deputy CEO László Urbán told inforadio.hu, calling the level of such sales "shockingly low." Urbán said that... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 10:19 CET
Hungary's new car sales down 50.3 year-on-year in January
New car sales in Hungary dropped 50.3pc to 2,970 in January 2010 from the same month a year earlier, falling 60.5pc to 56,000 for all of 2009, auto industry research company Jato Dynamics said on Wednesday. Hungary sustained the largest... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 12:37 CET
Hungarian auto body shops crash into "out of control" bureaucracy
Even though the car I keep in Budapest is now a dozen years old and covered with dings and scrapes, I've recently been thinking of having its doors and quarterpanels straightened out. So I've been doing a little research on... [read complete entry]
February 09, 2010, 09:27 CET
Toyota recalls 22,000 cars in Hungary
A campaign by Toyota to recall its cars because of accelerator pedal problems could affect a total of 22,000 cars in Hungary, Toyota Motor Hungary communication director Ferenc Som told MTI on Monday. They will start sending out letters informing... [read complete entry]
February 05, 2010, 09:55 CET
Turnover at Hungarian car rental firms plunged up to 30% in '09
Hungarian car-rental companies sustained a 10-30pc drop in turnover in 2009, while their car fleet decreased to 3,000 from 10,000 a year before, business daily Vilaggazdasag reported on Thursday. Several car-rental businesses went bankrupt in the EU during the same... [read complete entry]
February 03, 2010, 10:21 CET
Number of new cars put on road plunges 54% in January
In January, 2,768 new cars were put on the road in Hungary, 54 percent fewer than in the same month a year earlier, the Hungarian Association of Vehicle Importers (MGE) said on Tuesday. The number of new light commercial vehicles... [read complete entry]
January 19, 2010, 09:45 CET
C Hungary Mercedes plant to turn out first models in 2011
The construction of Daimler's car making plant in Kecskemet is right on track, and the first Mercedes A and B class next generation models are expected to roll out in late 2011, the director of Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing Hungary told an... [read complete entry]
January 18, 2010, 10:41 CET
Bosch plans to move production capacity from Wales to Hungary
The Robert Bosch industrial group plans to close down its car parts plant in Wales and move production capacity to Hungary next year, MTI reported from London on Friday. The German-based company - the world's biggest automotive industry supplier -... [read complete entry]
January 15, 2010, 09:16 CET
Audi Hungaria production declines in 2009 due to economic crisis
The German carmaker Audi's plant in Gyor (NW Hungary) manufactured close to 1.4m engines and 32,600 passenger cars in 2009, compared to 1.9m engines and 60,00 passenger cars in 2008, Audi Hungaria Motor told MTI on Wednesday. The company attributed... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2010, 09:16 CET
After collapse, Hungary's vehicle sales seen rising more than 7% in 2010
Hungary's motor vehicle market is expected to stabilise from the second half of 2010, and the Hungarian Association of Vehicle Importers (MGE) sees full-year sales rising 7.4pc to 85,200, chairman Peter Erdelyi said at a press conference on Monday. The... [read complete entry]
January 05, 2010, 08:46 CET
Car sales by Suzuki Hungary collapse in 2009, but firm remains market leader
Magyar Suzuki sold 8,112 vehicles in Hungary in 2009, less than one-third of the 24,864 sold in 2008, although the company managed to hold its position as market leader for the 13th year in a row, Magyar Suzuki told MTI... [read complete entry]
December 21, 2009, 10:45 CET
Chinese bus maker picks Hungary for first European assembly plant
Chinese bus maker Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry is planning to build its first European assembly plant in Hungary, King Long Magyarorszag managing director Janos Kelemen said on Friday. King Long has made a declaration of intent on the... [read complete entry]
November 23, 2009, 09:23 CET
Hungary's new car sales crash 72% year-on-year in October
New car sales in Hungary plunged 72.1pc to 3,590 in October from the same month a year earlier, and dropped 60.3pc to 52,892 in the first ten months, auto industry research company Jato Dynamics said on Friday. In October, only... [read complete entry]
October 30, 2009, 11:12 CET
EC calls on Hungary to change vehicle registration tax
The European Commission on Thursday said it has called on Hungary to change its legislation on car registration tax as it continues to discriminate against buyers of second-hand cars from other member states. Hungary's Parliament earlier amended legislation that taxed... [read complete entry]
October 05, 2009, 10:30 CET
New car sales continue plunging in September; just 3,200 units sold
New car sales in Hungary plunged 76pc to 3,200 in September from the same month a year earlier, after dropping more than 78pc in the previous month, the business daily Napi Gazdasag reported, quoting figures from Datahouse Kft. This was... [read complete entry]
September 18, 2009, 11:13 CET
New car sales plunge more than 75% in August in Hungary
New car sales in Hungary plunged 77.4pc to 2,518 in August from the same month a year earlier, after dropping almost 73pc in the previous month, auto industry research company Jato Dynamics said on Monday. The August drop was bigger... [read complete entry]
September 03, 2009, 10:47 CET
Nissan and Porsche open new luxury car salons in Budapest
Despite rumors there is some kind of recession on, Nissan's luxury car Infiniti has arrived in Hungary, and a new salon was opened on Budapest's Váci út in July, lifestyle portal deluxe.hu reports. The Váci út location was chosen for... [read complete entry]
August 28, 2009, 10:59 CET
Magyar Suzuki halves profits, increases exports
Magyar Suzuki, the Hungarian unit of Japan's Suzuki Motor Corporation, targets production of 180,000-190,000 vehicles in 2009, compared to the 281,686 vehicles the company manufactured last year, the business daily Vilaggazdsag reported on Friday. Magyar Suzuki Communications Director Viktoria Ruska... [read complete entry]
August 07, 2009, 09:50 CET
Number of new cars on Hungary's roads plunges 72% in July
A total of 3,805 new cars received license plates in Hungary during the month of July, down 72.7pc yr/yr, the business daily Vilaggazdasag reported on Thursday, citing statistics from automotive-data company Jato Dynamics. The Jato Dynamics data showed that the... [read complete entry]
July 17, 2009, 09:31 CET
EC approves state aid for Kecskemét Daimler plant
The European Commission on Thursday said it approved EUR 111.5m in aid from the Hungarian state to support the construction of a plant by German car maker Daimler in the Hungarian city of Kecskemet. The plant will create 2,500 jobs,... [read complete entry]
July 14, 2009, 09:39 CET
New car sales plunge 52% in first half of 2009; fears for remainder of year
Hungary's new car sales dropped dramatically in January-June compared to the same period in 2008 and the outlook for the second half of 2009 remains gloomy, business daily Vilaggazdasag said on Tuesday. In the first half of the year 39,429... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 10:20 CET
May car sales plunge 64% in Hungary; down almost 50% for year
The number of car sales in Hungary have dropped brutally, by 64.2 percent, to 5,297 in May, as compared to the same period of last year, the business daily Napi Gazdasag said on Wednesday. According to preliminary data, in the... [read complete entry]
May 05, 2009, 09:30 CET
Number of new cars sold in Hungary crashes 50% in April
The number of new cars introduced in traffic on Hungarian roads plummeted by more than half in April 2009 compared to the same period of last year, daily Nepszabadsag said on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
April 24, 2009, 10:19 CET
April 09, 2009, 10:04 CET
Audi to temporarily halt production at Hungarian unit
German car maker Audi will shut down car production and cut back engine production at its plant in Hungary in the days before and during the Easter holiday, Audi Hungaria's press officer MTI on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
April 08, 2009, 10:07 CET
General Motors introduces four-day work week at Hungarian Opel factory
General Motors will introduce a four-day working week at its Opel factory in Szentgotthard, on Hungary's border with Austria, a spokesperson from the factory told MTI on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
March 27, 2009, 01:27 CET
AAA exits Hungarian car business, Hungarian gov't not to get in
Some mixed news from the words of automobiles and government in Hungary. First the bad news. From various sources we see that AAA Auto, the big regional (and Budapest Stock Exchange-listed) used car dealer, has decided to "temporarily" halt its... [read complete entry]
March 25, 2009, 02:26 CET
New firm to be first in Hungary to auction off repossessed vehicles
For the first time in Hungary, a privately-owned firm will hold auctions to sell cars whose owners have defaulted on their auto loans, fn.hu reports.... [read complete entry]
March 19, 2009, 07:36 CET
New car sales in Hungary collapse in February; 161 swifts sold in '09
The number of new cars sold in Hungary fell 45.97pc yr/yr to 7,164 in February, international automotive-data provider Jato Dynamics told MTI on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
March 18, 2009, 11:30 CET
Germans boost used car sales on back of weak forint
Germans have been taking advantage of the slump in the forint to buy up used cars in Hungary, reports Világgazdaság. Meanwhile, the number of Hungarians registering cars bought abroad has fallen by 20-25% as demand slumps and cost advantages are... [read complete entry]
February 12, 2009, 09:30 CET
Suzuki to recall thousands of cars made in Hungary
Suzuki will recall all Swift models produced in Hungary in 2005-08, due to an insulation problem in the trunk of the vehicles, the company announced Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
February 11, 2009, 10:12 CET
Weak forint may boost Hungarian car exports to Slovakia
The strength of the euro against the forint and the Czech crown may help exports to the eurozone, particularly Slovakis, speculates Napi Gazdaság, based on a piece in Slovak daily SME. The original article says that vehicles purchased across the... [read complete entry]
February 11, 2009, 09:28 CET
Economy Minister says gov't plans big push for new foreign investment
Hungary's government plans to introduce an economic policy aimed at stimulating the flagging economy by encouraging foreign companies to invest in the country, Gordon Bajnai, the economy and national development minister, told a news conference on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
February 04, 2009, 10:41 CET
Car sales in Hungary drop 50% in January
Car sales dropped by over 50 percent in Hungary in January, compared to the same period of the previous year, the daily Nepszabadsag said on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
January 30, 2009, 09:21 CET
Audi supplier lays of 400 as orders evaporate
Hungary's Syncreon, which provides logistics services for German car maker Audi's plant in Gyor (NW Hungary), is laying off 400 of its 1,400 workers because of a big drop in orders, local daily Kisalfold reported on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
January 27, 2009, 09:22 CET
Audi to temporarily suspend production in Hungarian plant
German carmaker Audi's Hungary unit in Gyor (N Hungary) plans to suspend production in its plant for one week at the end of February, the unit's communications director confirmed to MTI on Monday.... [read complete entry]
January 16, 2009, 08:52 CET
Bosch to lay off 250 at biggest Hungarian plant
German engineering company Bosch will lay off 250 workers at its auto parts plant in Hatvan, near Budapest, because of falling orders, Robert Bosch communications director Zsuzsanna Kukaj told MTI on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
January 15, 2009, 09:50 CET
Hungary new car sales drop more than 10%
New car sales in Hungary fell 10.4pc to 158,628 in 2008, and light commercial vehicle sales were flat, the Hungarian Association of Vehicle Importers (MGE) told MTI on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2008, 02:48 CET
New car sales drop 28% in November
New car sales in Hungary dropped a sharp 28.4pc in November from the same month a year earlier, according to figures compiled by the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (ACEA). The fall was slightly steeper than the 25.8pc decline for Europe... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2008, 02:42 CET
Porsche Hungaria sees "danger" for third of dealerships
About one-third of the 120 Porsche Hungaria dealerships and service centres are in the "danger zone" because of the financial crisis, but, with the appropriate assistance, no more than 10pc are expected to be forced to shut down, Janos Eppel,... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2008, 10:11 CET
Hundreds take buyouts at Magyar Suzuki as manufacturing layoffs continue
About 200 staff at Magyar Suzuki have voluntarily resigned and taken severance packages in light of the company's plans to make about 1,200 layoffs, the Hungarian unit of Japanese carmaker Suzuki said in a statement on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
December 08, 2008, 08:35 CET
Government plan to help auto industry suppliers during production crisis
Hungary's government will launch a programme early next year to help car industry suppliers survive the period of recession marked by declining production and layoffs, Minister of National Development and Economy Gordon Bajnai said in Kecskemet, C Hungary, on Friday.... [read complete entry]
October 27, 2008, 01:18 CET
Hungary signs agreement with Daimler-Benz on planned factory
Hungarian government officials on Monday signed a cooperation agreement with German auto maker Daimler-Benz on an EUR 800m production base the company plans to build in the city of Kecskemet.... [read complete entry]
October 14, 2008, 09:40 CET
Hungarian automotive industry first to feel global crisis
The global financial crisis is first to reach the Hungarian automotive industry as small contractors are receiving fewer orders from multinational manufacturers forced to scale back production, writes Napi Gazdaság. According to company directors at the Győr Industry Park, the... [read complete entry]
August 22, 2008, 10:02 CET
New car sales in Hungary plunge 9.2%
International automotive-data provider JATO Dynamics reported recently that sales of new cars in Hungary had decreased 9.2pc in twelve months to 13,944 units in July.... [read complete entry]
August 14, 2008, 08:25 CET
Output at Hungary's Suzuki auto plant jumps by third in first half of 2008
Japanese carmaker Suzuki turned out 149,438 vehicles at its plant in Hungary in the first half of the year, 33.3pc more than in the same period a year earlier as the company continued to expand production at the unit, Magyar... [read complete entry]
August 07, 2008, 08:05 CET
Data suggest rise in number of uninsured vehicles on Hungarian roads
According to the Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority (Pénzügyi Szervezetek Állami Felügyelete; PSZÁF), the number of cars on the roads increased by 2% during last year, while the number of liability insurance policies in circulation dropped by the same rate, reports... [read complete entry]
July 29, 2008, 02:59 CET
Hungary slams WTO proposals, says local industry would lose billions
Hungary's government finds proposals by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to reduce global trade barriers unacceptable in their current form, Finance Minister Janos Veres said at a press conference on Tuesday. The WTO proposals would cut tariffs and subsidies for... [read complete entry]
June 20, 2008, 10:05 CET
Kecskemét plans training courses for new Daimler staff
Kecskemét will draw up an action plan to co-ordinate vocational training in the city to help recruit staff for Daimler. The German auto company on Wednesday announced plans to build a €800 million plant in Hungary. The long tradition... [read complete entry]
June 18, 2008, 09:35 CET
Daimler picks Hungary for new Mercedes plant
In what probably many observers will see as an unlikely victory for Hungary, German automaker Daimler AG has picked Kecskemét over other potential sites in Romania and Poland for its planned new €800 million assembly plant, the company's first... [read complete entry]
May 16, 2008, 08:52 CET
Leased cars seized and auctioned off by APEH, leaving financers billions out of pocket
Car financing companies are said to be losing money hand over fist due to vehicles, the capital on leasing contracts, being seized and auctioned off by the Hungarian tax office APEH, reports privatbankar.hu. A statement issued by the Hungarian Leasing... [read complete entry]
January 22, 2008, 11:10 CET
Investor to begin work on "Las Vegas-style" discount motor plaza this spring
Despite industry scepticism, a Hungarian consortium is set to begin work on an American-style auto plaza this spring. [read complete entry]
December 12, 2007, 09:41 CET
Porsche Hungary's luxury sales speed past local economic slowdown
Porsche Hungária said that sales of its luxury auto brands remain strong, while its more modest marquees may be suffering as a result of the economic slowdown [read complete entry]