Investments by Bavarian companies to save hundreds of jobs, Szijjarto says

Foreign minister has talks with BMW leaders in Munich

German car maker BMW will use its plant in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, as the focal point of its electric car production strategy, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in Munich on Wednesday, following talks with BMW leaders.

In a press statement published on Facebook, Szijjarto said that BMW’s decision was “fantastic news”, which signalled that “Hungary will be among world leaders in the next epoch built on electric cars.”

Though BMW has already been producing electric vehicles, it is planning to develop a separate platform for electric models to be produced in Debrecen, Szijjarto said.

The construction of BMW’s Debrecen plant is on schedule, the minister said, adding that the government had completed the infrastructural developments it had committed to contribute.

Investments by Bavarian companies to save hundreds of jobs

The Hungarian government has signed new investment agreements with Bavarian automotive industry supplier Rosenberger and motorhome, campervan and caravan manufacturer Knaus Tabbert, which will create and save hundreds of jobs, Szijjarto said earlier in the day.

Rosenberger, which employs 4,000 people in Hungary, is investing 13.5 billion forints (EUR 38.0m) at its bases in Nyirbator, Jaszarokszallas and Jaszbereny, Szijjarto said on Facebook. The investment, which the government is supporting with a 3.7 billion forint grant, will create 150 jobs, the minister said.

Meanwhile, Knaus Tabbert will receive a 500 million forint grant for a 1.3 billion forint capacity expansion at its motorhome plant in Nagyoroszi, in northern Hungary, he said. The company, which produces more than 8,000 vehicles a year, will also begin manufacturing self-driving motorhomes, Szijjarto said. Knaus Tabbert’s investment will save 400 jobs, he added.

The federal state of Bavaria is Hungary’s number one economic partner in Germany, Szijjarto said.

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