Ljubljana, 14 October (STA) – Slovenia’s automotive suppliers are looking at a successful year and are in a position to meet new challenges in the industry, a conference organised by the Automotive Cluster of Slovenia heard on Monday.
The main challenge as described by the cluster’s director Dušan Bušen is the production of more technologically advanced and greener cars that will offer more entertainment.
»The Slovenian car industry is capable of providing these solutions, it has high-tech production, quality and price-effectiveness,« PM Alenka Bratušek said in her address to the event in Ljubljana.
The PM labelled the cluster as one of the most successful ones in Slovenia. It brings together 64 companies and know-how institutions which generate EUR 3.3bn in annual revenue, 80% of which in exports.
»We rank among top suppliers of automotive parts,« Bušen said.
He described this year as successful, projecting that sales would be 2-3% above last year’s figure.
He expects demands for emission reduction to continue to increase in the future, but is confident that Slovenian suppliers can meet them.
Bratušek assured the participants that the government would not be raising taxes for years to come and that the only tax raised so far was VAT, which did not affect exporters.
She said the burden of the real estate tax on businesses would be similar to the existing levy, but the new tax would be fairer as the amount of tax would depend on the value rather than the size of property.
The conference will also discuss slim production, innovation of business models and electro-mobility. The competitiveness of the Slovenian automotive industry and its contribution to sustainable mobility will be in the focus of a round-table debate.