HYUNDAI has announced four possible sites for a new European car manufacturing plant.

The factory will produce 300,000 units a year and finalists for the plant are the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Two of the countries will soon be selected to go through to final evaluation and Hyundai will announce a winner in February 2004.

The manufacturer will also then announce which models it plans to build at the plant that will be built as part of a $1.5billion investment. Work on the plant is to due to start in 2005 ready for completion by 2007.