Over the course of the past four years, the tiny Slovak Republic has turned into Europe’s Detroit, according to analysts who are impressed by this Eastern European country’s hugely successful automobile industry.

Slovakia is now one of Europe’s leading passenger vehicle manufacturers and this impressive status has played a key role in fuelling the booming Slovak economy and making sure that it is among the healthiest in the Western world, even as major powers ride out with difficulty the global financial crisis.

Despite the deep trouble that the American automobile sector finds itself in, most experts believe that Slovak’s car manufacturing industry will remain successful, even in this unprecedentedly difficult economic climate.

The small Slovak town of Zilina seems to be benefiting the most from the success of the car industry. In fact, according to an article in the International Herald Tribune, a new passenger vehicle is produced every minute of every weekday. Zilina’s largest car manufacturer and one of the town’s most prominent employers is KIA Motors, which inaugurated its €1 billion facility in 2006.

While a major economic recession is wrecking havoc in the West, Slovakia and the country’s car industry appears to be sailing along, largely unhindered. In fact, roughly 30,000 new jobs will be created in the automobile sector within the next two years. A representative of Slovakia Automotive Industry Association pointed out that there is still plenty of opportunity for growth in what remains a fledgling sector of this Eastern European country’s economy.