Gerd Walker, Audi's chief operating officer, announced on Tuesday that among 26 interested or potential investors…
None offered a “viable and sustainable concept” for the plant’s future.
Internal research within the Volkswagen Group into future vehicle production or alternative uses for the plant It also proved ineffective.
During the year, Audi repeatedly criticized the plant in the Belgian capital, where the Q8 e-tron and its Sportback version are currently produced. The company has announced that the successor to the Q8 e-tron will be produced in Mexico, with no plans to introduce new models to the Belgian factory.
The possibility of closing the plant has already been raised. In mid-September, Walker said in an interview that the company was focusing on finding potential investors.
However, this research appears to have failed.
Ronnie Liedts, negotiator in charge of the plant's ACV-CSC union, made a critical statement about Audi's position:
The only thing they want to do is close the factory as quickly as possible. Neither alternative works for them.
Liedts added that approximately 3,000 workers could lose their jobs if the plant closes.
Audi has repeatedly argued that the plant's location hinders its expansion and in-house logistics, which would be necessary to run the site economically. The factory is located right next to the railway line, so there is no space available for expansion. In addition, there is no body shop on site, so independent production in Brussels is not possible.
In addition to the location challenges, Audi is also facing a problem with demand for the model produced in Brussels. While the plant is designed to produce 120,000 vehicles per year, only 47,900 vehicles were produced in 2022 and 37,400 Q8 e-tron vehicles were built in 2023. Only 23,900 units of the large electric SUV were shipped in the first three quarters of this year.
Cover image credit: Simon Wohlwart/Bloomberg via Getty Images
