• Audi Brussels celebrates production milestone today
• Company invests an additional €270 million in expansion
• Member of the Board for Production Frank Dreves: “Audi A1 secures jobs for the long-term in Brussels”
Brussels has reached a major milestone as an automobile production site: 61 years after the plant in the Forest district opened, the seven millionth car came off the assembly line today. The model, an Audi A1 1.4 TFSI (90 kW/122 hp) in Misano Red with a contrasting roof arch in
silver, made its public debut just five weeks ago at the Paris Motor Show.
“The achievement of seven million manufactured automobiles demonstrates the
tremendous reservoir of experience, ability and passion shared by the employees at
Audi Brussels,” says Frank Dreves, Member of the Audi Board of Management for
Production and Chairman of the Board of Administration of AUDI BRUSSELS
S.A./N.V. “I am convinced the Audi A1 will be a great success and secure jobs here in Brussels for the long term.” Early sales figures show the new Audi model from Brussels is already popular with
customers. “We have therefore already increased our production planning for next
year by 20 percent,” says Dreves. “In addition, we will be investing roughly €270
million in the expansion of our production capacity in the next few years.”
AUDI AG has already spent more than €300 million on the site since acquiring it
three years ago. Improvements include a new body shop with 450 robots, a preproduction
service center, a test track and an efficient energy center as well as a
spacious company restaurant and a modern health center. The work-stations on the
assembly line were also ergonomically optimized. Following the start of production
of the Audi A1 in May of this year, roughly 500 automobiles are now produced in two
shifts at Audi Brussels each day.
“We are very pleased with the start of the Audi A1,” says Alfons Dintner, General
Director for Technology and Logistics and management spokesman of Audi’s
Brussels plant. “It was crucial to us that we apply the same high quality standards
that typify Audi to the smallest automobile in our lineup. We have done an excellent
job on this from day one.”
Source: Audi AG
