Similarly to other Visegrád Four (V4) states, Slovakia – an automotive monoculture withinan ‘integrated periphery’ (also known as ‘Factory Europe’) of the European auto industry, which has been nicknamed the ‘Detroit of Europe’ – finds itself at a critical juncture in its economic development as the country navigates the transition from the manufacturing of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to electric vehicles (EVs). This transformation, driven by the EU’s climate objectives – especially its 2035 zero-emissions target for new vehicles – and the globalshift toward electromobility, is facilitated mainly by South Korean (brownfield) and Chinese (greenfield) investments.
As Chinese EV and battery investments increasingly dominate the greenfield investments into electromobility in the V4 states, they present both opportunities and challenges to the countries’ aspirations for industrial upgrading and green/digital transitions.
Dominika Remžová, AMO’s China Analyst, analyses two major Chinese investments in Slovakia – the world’s largest producer of cars per capita – namely Volvo’s EV manufacturing plant in Valaliky and Gotion InoBat Batteries’ (GIB) venture in Šurany, each of which is at its planning phase and worth around €1.2 billion.
