Because the electric Q8 e-tron family is performing poorly, Audi is considering ending production in Brussels early – this puts the future of the plant with around 3,000 employees in question.
The Audi plant in Brussels, which employs around 3,000 people, is threatened with closure. The VW subsidiary is considering prematurely ending production of the Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron models there, as Audi announced. Because these are the only models currently being produced in Brussels, Audi now wants to restructure and has started an information and consultation process required by Belgian law for this case. This could also result in the closure of the plant if no alternatives are found.
“The Audi Q8 e-tron model family currently produced at the Audi site in Brussels is affected by a segment-specific, intensified decline in demand,” Audi explained the reason for the considerations. In addition, there are “structural challenges at the Brussels site” that lead to comparatively high production costs.
The announcement of the restructuring is “not yet a final decision,” stressed the head of Audi Brussels, Volker German. “Nevertheless, this news moves the workforce in Brussels and me very much.”
The VW Group Works Council called for “a future-proof perspective for the plant” and its colleagues in Brussels. Audi did not comment on how long the process might take. However, comparable cases in the past have taken periods of time ranging from a few months to almost a year.
Source: Stern
