Foreign carmaker reportedly in talks for major investment in Romania

A foreign car company is in advanced negotiations with the Romanian authorities for getting a 150-hectare plot of land in the Tetarom 5 industrial par less than 15 kilometres from Cluj-Napoca, where it plans to invest “several hundreds of millions” of euros in a car plant, Adevarul reported.

The investment could be even larger, according to Cluj County representatives, who announced the project.

The construction works for the factory are supposed to begin in a year or two if the company, whose identity was not disclosed, will reach an agreement with the local authorities.

The location allows the investor to have immediate access to both the Cluj International Airport and the motorway - which is essential for exporting cars or car parts that could be manufactured in Romania. The motorway section linking Cluj Napoca with the east-west motorway to Hungary was recently completed.

Romania hosts so far only two automobile producers: Renault (Dacia) and Ford. The two have invested billions in Mioveni and Craiova, respectively.

In the past, Romania has also negotiated with other important carmakers. Peugeot and Mercedes are just two of the names that have tested the ground and have had important negotiations with the Romanian authorities.

The last interested investor was Mercedes, which discussed the option between 2016-2018, eventually choosing to invest in Hungary, in Kecskemet, after negotiating with Romania and Poland. At that time, Romania lost the race due to the precarious infrastructure.

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