Vucic: Series production of new Fiat Panda in Kragujevac to begin in third week of January

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Tuesday series production of a new Fiat Panda model in Kragujevac, central Serbia, was due to begin in the third week of January, and noted that it would be a drastic boost to GDP growth.

"Do not forget that series production of the Fiat Panda is due to begin in the third week of January and that it will make a drastic contribution to our GDP growth. That is exactly what will be our problem in Q1 due to a high Q1 2024, so it will boost our overall annual performance," Vucic told reporters during a visit to the construction site of a new child clinic in Belgrade.

If the car's production numbers exceed 100,000, that will boost GDP growth drastically, he said.

"We can exceed the 4.2-4.3 pct GDP growth rate to an even higher extent next year, which would mean much higher salaries and everything else. But we need to chase leading-edge technologies. So, it is about artificial intelligence. We must bring in new investors, and we are now making an analysis of investments," Vucic said.