ZalaZONE Workshop Wing to Be Expanded

Due to the increasing number of orders, the workshop wing at the ZalaZONE automotive test track (in Zalaegerszeg, SW Hungary), which is suitable for both cars and trucks, is being extended with new stands.

László Palkovics, chairman of the board of trustees of the Széchenyi István University Foundation, which had been handed the ownership of the track by the state towards the end of last year, and managing director of the Automotive Test Track Zala Ltd., said on Thursday that the clients who come here expect services that they can provide with their own engineers or with engineers ‘hired’ on site. To this end, the university will also provide the engineering and technical background needed for testing.

He added that Austria's AVL was the first to build its own development base next to the test track, but that a similar facility for Bosch is nearing completion. It will employ 250 engineers and recruitment has already started.

The existing 2,000-square-meter building in the workshop wing can service 16 cars and 6 trucks at the same time. Its extension has recently started and the construction is currently 40 percent complete.

Zoltán Hamar, Managing Director of AVL ZalaZONE Ltd., the operator of the test track, said that the building, which was opened in 2019, will be extended by 1,300 square meters by the end of the year to accommodate an additional 8 cars and 6 trucks. The occupancy rate is increasing, with two car manufacturers and two suppliers currently renting permanent space and other users of the test track taking up assembly stations for shorter or longer periods.