British car maker MG Rover is considering Slovakia as one of possible locations in central Europe for building its new €400-million production plant, official Slovak news agency TASR reported on Monday, according to Reuters.
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The news agency said TASR reported Slovak Economy Minister Pavol Rusko as saying that Rover had expressed interest in choosing a site in the eastern part of the country.
According to Reuters, Rusko also said he would meet Rover officials this month after he returns from South Korea, where he is to meet representatives of Hyundai Motor that also is looking for a site for an assembly plant in central Europe.
Reuters said that the TASR report did not contain direct quotes by Rusko, nor did it give further details about Rover plans, and economy ministry officials were not available for comment.
Reuters noted that Slovakia has attracted an increasing number of car industry companies in the past few years as they respond to a global slump in sales with a shift of production from western Europe to countries with cheaper workforces – the central European region is to join the European Union next year.
The report apparently surprised an MG Rover spokesman contacted by just-auto and he said it was probably referring to Poland, where the company has been negotiating over a former car factory for some time. Told it definitely referred to Slovakia, he said he would investigate.
