Automotive industry in Slovakia

TAZ 1500 (earlier Škoda 1203)
Prototype BAZ Locusta based on Škoda Garde.
Citroën C3 Picasso is now produced in Trnava.
Škoda Citigo is now produced in Bratislava.

Since 2007, Slovakia has been the world's largest producer of cars per capita,[1] with a total of 571,071 cars manufactured in the 2007 alone in a country with 5 million people. With production of nearly 1 million cars in 2013 was Slovakia 18th in the list of worldwide car production by country. Automotive is the largest industry in Slovakia with a share of 12% on the Slovak GDP in 2013[2] which was 41% of industrial production and 26% of Slovakia export.

History

First automobile fully constructed in Slovakia "Drndička" was made by the blacksmith Michal Majer in 1913.[3] He copied a car of the Bulgarian King who was at that time living in Slovakia. After WWI (in 1918) Slovakia became a part of the newly formed Czechoslovakia. In Czech part had industry, influenced also by Germans (see Ferdinand Porsche) longer tradition: in 1897 in factory Kopřivnice (Nesselsdorfer wagenbaufabriksgesellschaft) was produced the first Czech car (Präsident) and in 1898 the first lorry. Already before WWII was the automotive industry a significant and advanced part of the economy of the former Czechoslovakia. Post-war socialist Czechoslovakia restored auto manufacturing with original brands and became the second (after Poland) in Soviet block outside the USSR. Brands Skoda cars and trolleybuses, Tatra trucks and trams, Karosa buses and Jawa Moto and Avia were completed in Bohemia or Moravia. Companies in Slovakia like Matador Púchov, VSŽ Košice and others were supplying parts and components to Czech part of the republic but later (from 1971) the part of final production of Skoda cars was established as Bratislava Automotive Works (BAZ) and Trnava Automotive Works (TAZ) and of Tatra cars in Banovce nad Bebravou in Slovakia. However, following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic has inherited most of its auto capabilities and then has grown fast by foreign investments. Even the Volkswagen bought Skoda Slovak production sites in Slovakia already in 1991 it got the full control only in 1999 when Volkswagen Slovakia was established, which actually started the fast development of the auto-industry in Slovakia.

Present day

Now Slovakia is one of the significant European (7th) and World's (18th) auto maker, having annual output near 1 million and large export to more than 100 countries. Auto manufacturers in the Slovakia currently include 3 OEM automobile production plants: Volkswagen's in Bratislava, PSA Peugeot Citroën's in Trnava and Kia Motors' Žilina Plant. There are many other tier suppliers.

OEM Manufacturers and models

Volkswagens in Bratislava

Small car line: Volkswagen's Up family: Volkswagen up!, Škoda Citigo, SEAT Mii

Regular car line: Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne

PSA Peugeot Citroëns in Trnava

Citroën C3 Picasso from middle of 2008

Peugeot 208 (from November 2011) [4]

Kia Motors' Žilina Plant

Kia Cee'd

Kia Sportage third generation (from 2010)

References

  1. ↑ "Slovak Car Industry Production Almost Doubled in 2007". Industryweek.com. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  2. ↑ Rosival, Štefan (27 Jan 2014). "Industry sector which the crises bypassed (Priemysel, ktorý obišla kríza)". http://www.automagazin.sk''. Automagazin. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Najstaršia automobilka na Slovensku bola v Psiaroch (The oldest Slovak car-production facility was in Psiare)". Peter Ižold. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Professional MBA Automotive Industry: Factory visit and workshop at PSA Peugeot Citroën in Trnava". Automotive.tuwien.ac.at. 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2012-09-29.

External links