Hungary's Auto Industry Overview

Today, Hungary has a population of 10 million and a car fleet of more than 3 million cars. In 2006 it produced more than 187,633 passenger cars and 2600 commercial vehicles. The revenues for 2006 amounted to more than €11 billion, and the automotive sector share represented 14% of total industrial production. The share in total exports was about 25%, the share of three “Bigs” Audi, Suzuki and GM Powertrain a combined 17%. There are approximately 350 motor-vehicle manufacturing companies; from this more than 250 have audited quality assurance systems. The number of employees in the sector is approximately above 100,000, including a considerable number of highly skilled workers. Proportion of employees involved in main-unit manufacturing is 12%, involved in part-unit manufacturing 88%.

The main players in the automotive sector are Audi, Suzuki, Opel, their and individual multinational suppliers as well as the traditional Hungarian manufacturer Rába. Counting more than 300 players the country is widely considered as the supplier base for the manufacturers established in the region. Ninety per cent of the production and export of the Hungarian Automotive Industry comes from Audi, Opel, Suzuki and Visteon. The exports of Audi, Opel and Suzuki make 17 % of the whole Hungarian exports.

Hungary has a strong supplier base, with annual sales of around EUR 9 billion. There are over 350 companies manufacturing car components, with 90.000 employees. 70 % of them have audited quality control systems. 94 % of the cars produced in Hungary and 88 % of engines and components are exported. The average wage in the industry is 680 EURO/month, the proportion of foreign companies is 75 %.

The supplier industry plays a fundamental role in the national automotive landscape, turnover of the component manufacturers accounts for 2/3 of that of total automotive production. The following types of parts are supplied by Hungarian subcontractors: ABS sensors, brake locks, cable harness, clutch disks, controllers, door latches, door limiters, horns, gearboxes and brake systems for commercial vehicles, ignition switches, instrument panels, high precision injection molded products, pressed and welded components, technical rubber components, seat covers, seat frames, screen wiper systems, suspension elements, etc.