Central and Eastern Europe joined forces in the automotive industry

The shared goal of the countries united in CEE AutoHUB is to strengthen the competitiveness of the automotive industry and ensure unified and strong representation of the region's interests. The initiative was originally founded by Czechia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, with Hungary joining through MAGE practically in the very first days.

As in the other four countries, the automotive industry is also one of the important pillars of industry and the economy in Hungary. In recent years, approximately 450 thousand vehicles were produced annually in the country and the sector provided approximately 150 thousand jobs. With production ramping up at the BMW and BYD plants, this volume will continue to grow.

The five countries united in AutoHUB account for almost a third of total vehicle production in the European Union, producing more than 4 million cars annually, roughly equivalent to German output. However, this volume will continue to increase – in Hungary thanks to the BMW and BYD plants, and in Slovakia following the opening of the Volvo plant. In these five countries, the automotive industry also directly employs more than 1.2 million people, while another 1.5 to 2 million jobs are linked to the broader value chain.

The initiative was founded by the respective national organisations representing the automotive industry in cooperation with ACEA. The five participating countries are home to more than 50 automotive manufacturing plants.

Stronger Representation of Interests

According to a statement by CEE AutoHUB, Hungary's accession represents a significant step towards a stronger regional partnership and better-coordinated representation of Central and Eastern European interests at European level.

“CEE AutoHUB is a constructive initiative for our region. At a time when the automotive industry is undergoing fundamental regulatory and technological changes, stronger coordination and structured dialogue between Central and Eastern European associations are essential. AutoHUB provides a platform that enables positions to be aligned and national experiences to be shared, while ensuring that the region's views are clearly and consistently reflected in European discussions,” said Krisztián Róbert.