The automotive industry continues to power the engine of business growth in Central and Eastern Europe. Companies including Toyota, Kia, Suzuki, Hyundai and their suppliers are taking advantage of lower operating costs and an expanding market in these former Soviet-dominated nations. The Czech Republic, Republic of Slovakia and Poland are fast becoming the Detroit of Europe and lead the continent in attracting foreign auto plants, according to a 2006 report from Ernst & Young LLP.
In the Czech Republic, the largest industrial project in the nation's history is under construction. The $1.3 billion Hyundai plant in Nosovice is expected to employ more than 3,500 workers, with suppliers creating thousands of additional jobs.
