Illustrative stock photo (source: Sme)
In 2018, more than one million vehicles rolled off the carmaker's production lines in Slovakia again. Volkswagen Slovakia, Kia Motors Slovakia, PSA Group Slovakia, and Jaguar Land Rover produced more than 1,080,000 vehicles, which is the highest figure in the history of the Slovak Republic. In the past few years, Slovakia has remained at the top of the world ranking in the number of cars produced per 1,000 inhabitants. In 2018, it kept its primacy by 198 vehicles.
“The results of the past year have turned out very well, which of course we are very glad about,” said Alexander Matušek, the president of the Slovak Automotive Industry Association (ZAP) at a press conference on January 10. “But one should realise that the automotive industry will face significant changes in the near future. This year will thus be extremely demanding.”
The challenges facing Slovakia’s automotive industry include global ones linked especially with legislation reducing emissions in new cars. There will be local ones as well pertaining to a continuing shortage of qualified labour, instability and weak predictability of the business environment, low levels of R&D activities and insufficient development of cooperation between academia and industry and the low level of development of mobility on the basis of alternative propulsions and preparation for new forms of mobility.
ZAP estimates that car production will to amount to 1.15 million this year when the brand new Jaguar Land Rover plant Lower in Nitra, which launched production only in late October, is expected to contribute to the final number.
