[joe_mamba]

>Is Hungary a paragon of growth and strategic planning?

Kinda, yeah. Foreign investors love doing business with dictators due to guaranteed stability versus the political pendulum swinging every 4 years.

HEnce why more manufacturing is opening in Hungary.

  BMW: Opened a new, fully electric vehicle plant in Debrecen in September 2025, with series production of the BMW iX3 starting in late October 2025.

  Mercedes-Benz: Announced expansion of its Kecskemét plant to start producing the A-Class model in 2026, further solidifying its presence in Hungary where it already manufactures other models. 

  BYD: The Chinese EV maker is building its first European production facility in Szeged, with operations set to begin by the end of 2025 or early 2026. The €4 billion plant will initially produce tens of thousands of vehicles annually, focusing on EVs for the European market. 

  CATL: The world's largest battery manufacturer is constructing a massive plant in Debrecen, expected to start production in early 2026. This supports Hungary's EV ecosystem, supplying batteries to automakers like BMW. 

  Flex (Flextronics): Inaugurated a new high-tech "NextGen" plant in Zalaegerszeg in November 2025, worth 35 billion HUF (about €90 million). It focuses on electronics and components for the automotive industry, creating 210 jobs in research and production.

[dep_b]

Hungary was outpaced by all WU countries in the last 20 years:

https://gki.hu/language/en/2024/06/18/hungarys-20-years-in-t...

I guess it’s attractive for its low wages? But not because of something Orbán pulled off.

[locknitpicker]

> Kinda, yeah.

You must be talking about an entirely different Hungary, because the one in the EU is described as "an ailing economy in Europe".

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/08/18/hungary...

Academic papers on Hungary's recent history report a clear negative impact of Hungary's illiberal regime.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266731932...