Hungary signs contract for autonomous vehicle test track

Budapest, April 19 (MTI) – Economy Minister Mihály Varga on Wednesday signed a contract with companies involved in setting up a track in Zalaegerszeg, in western Hungary, for testing autonomous vehicles.

Varga said at the event that the facility would be world-class and would put Hungary at the forefront of the development of self-driving vehicles. He added that the track would be one of its kind in Europe.

The signatories of the contract worth 473 million forints (EUR 1.5m) are the Economy Ministry and Autóipari Próbapálya Zala Kft, Fomterv Mérnöki Tervező Zrt and the British-based unit of Japanese company Horiba Mira.

British Ambassador Iain Lindsay who attended the event said the track would have a positive impact on central and eastern Europe’s economic growth.

The project will position Hungary favourably to strengthen its already strong vehicle production base while building on the results of the past decades of research and development, he said.

The test track will enable traditional vehicles to be tested alongside autonomous and electric ones, Varga noted.