Romania’s car production was the 10th-highest in Europe last year, climbing up one position, after Belgium lost four places in the ranking.

Romania may continue going up in the next years. However, the country will always remain on the second place in comparison to Poland, said Constantin Stroe, president of the Association of Automotive Manufacturers of Romania (APIA), cited by local Ziarul Financiar.

However, Romania could surpass Hungary after 2018, as Ford has recently announced that it would start producing the EcoSport SUV in Craiova next fall. The model will have an annual production of 100,000-150,000 units, according to Ford.

Romania produced 387,200 cars last year, down 4% compared to 2014. By comparison, the car production in Hungary reached 491,000 units in 2015, up by 13%. The car production in Poland totaled 534,000 cars, up by 13%.

editor@romania-insider.com