Viktor Orbán said on Thursday that if Europe can secure cheap energy, the continent’s automotive sector, including Mercedes-Benz and its factory in Kecskemét, it will remain competitive.
Speaking at an event celebrating the company’s 140th anniversary, the prime minister said Hungary is engaged in a major struggle to ensure affordable energy both for factories and households. At the same time, he said the country is under significant pressure, adding that Hungary was recently subjected to what he described as an oil blockade from the Ukrainian side.
Addressing employees and Hungarian and German leaders of the Kecskemét plant, Orbán said the government would not allow Hungary to be dragged into the war, nor permit budget resources to be taken out of the country or what he called a flawed energy policy to be imposed on Hungary.
He also assured workers that the government would protect their jobs under all circumstances and provide German partners with all the support needed for the expansion of the Kecskemét factory.
Orbán said the history of Mercedes-Benz is not only about automobiles for Hungarians but is also intertwined with the country’s own history. According to the prime minister, Hungarians have always wanted to be at the forefront of global technology, something he said the company represents.
He described the company’s presence in Hungary as a real success story, noting that the plant is currently being expanded and will soon double its capacity. Orbán added that reaching the milestone of employing the five thousandth Hungarian worker at the factory is particularly meaningful.
The prime minister said the plant represents more than just the production of quality vehicles. He argued that Hungary has demonstrated its capabilities by building and operating one of the world’s most modern factories on what used to be farmland within 14 years.
According to Orbán, the success of the Mercedes plant is also a matter of national pride, as such achievements strengthen the confidence of Hungarians.
He also recalled the early links between Hungary and the German carmaker. Six years after Karl Benz patented the first car, in 1892 Béla Hacsek published an advertisement in the Pesti Hírlap newspaper selling Benz vehicles, which Orbán said made him the first car dealer in Hungary and likely marked the first automobile in the country.
He added that the first driving licence in Hungary was obtained by champagne manufacturer József Törley, who drove Benz cars.
Orbán said Hungarians have long been attracted to the vehicles produced by the Benz factory, noting that for many people in Hungary Mercedes-Benz cars have become associated with prosperity, success, quality and world class standards.
The prime minister thanked the leadership of Mercedes-Benz for repeatedly choosing Hungary, as well as the German managers and Hungarian employees of the Kecskemét plant, and presented awards to the factory’s first and five thousandth employees.
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