The auto industry, long a driver of economic growth in central Europe, is likely to be one of the main drags on the region’s efforts this year to recover from the impact of COVID-19. After communist rule ended in central Europe three decades ago, foreign carmakers invested heavily in a region that had a cheap and efficient workforce. The auto sector became an important source of foreign investment, employment and growth. But with car production hit by factories idling during coronavirus lockdowns, and many still not back at full throttle, the industry is expected to be worse hit by COVID-19 than many others in central Europe. That is bad news for the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, which are particularly reliant on the auto industry. “Proportionally this sector is expected to suffer the biggest drop in the manufacturing sector in the region. This is where the […]