Hungary, after several difficult years, is experiencing new interest from foreign investors, particularly in the manufacturing sector. The nation's overall industrial output grew by more than 13 percent in 2005. The country's relative stability and well-developed legal and regulatory framework are part of what appeals to automotive companies and their suppliers, like Hankook Tire.
   Additional recent announcements include that by Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., a Japanese auto parts maker, which will invest more than $1.5 million to expand the footprint of an existing facility. Asahi Glass, an automotive glass supplier, is constructing a new plant in the northwestern town of Tatabanya, where Bridgestone Tire is building a US$215-million plant.
   Other countries to watch include Slovakia, Romania, the Czech Republic and Poland, according to Datamonitor's Stojanov. "Further east, Russia is a particularly promising sales market and production location. The sale of 1.3 million new cars last year places Russia among the world's top 10 automotive markets," he notes. Stojanov says that by 2014, as many as 2.3 million new cars a year will be sold in Russia. "With an estimated increase in annual sales of 1 million vehicles within the next 10 years, Russia is one of the most rapidly growing markets in the world after China," he adds.