Central and Eastern Europe is gaining ground in Europe's supply chain landscape. That is the central finding of a study by logistics consultancy Miebach and iO Partners, based on a survey of 130 companies active in the region. Access to local demand was the most frequently named benefit of establishing operations there — a result that frames the region not simply as a low-cost production base, but as a customer market in its own right.
The findings land at a moment of acute pressure for Europe's car industry. BMW Group has issued 2026 guidance putting its automotive segment's EBIT margin between -0.5% and 0.5% — on par with the -0.6% recorded in 2009 — alongside announced cuts of 8,000 jobs worldwide. The premium manufacturer, which in the past sold cars largely on the strength of its badge, is now competing head-on on product strength and pricing. Margins that thin leave little room for inefficiency in production footprints, sourcing decisions and freight routes.
Trade policy is adding a further layer of urgency. Cars traded between Britain and the EU that fail to meet the requirements could attract a 10% tariff in 2027, and industry body ACEA has separately estimated that 82% of the EVs expected to be exported from the EU to Britain could be affected without an EU battery deal. Exposure on that scale strengthens the case for the kind of localized, demand-proximate supply chains that Central and Eastern Europe is increasingly positioned to host.
Taken together, the study and the pressures surrounding it sketch a region in ascent. With incumbents fighting for every basis point of margin and trade rules hardening around battery-electric flows, the pull toward Central and Eastern Europe's manufacturing and logistics capacity looks set to deepen. The survey's clearest message is a simple one: what draws companies to the region, above all, is the demand already on its doorstep.
Supply chain realignments eventually show up as vehicles on the road, and businesses redrawing their distribution maps across the region will need the right vans and trucks to run the new routes. Readers looking for a vehicle can find sensational cars at sensational conditions at WorldTrader24, Europe's marketplace with over 70,000 vehicles — commercial models included for every logistics task.
