Audi mulls closing Brussels plant as EV demand falters

admin admin | 07-10 16:30

After investing heavily in the shift to electromobility in recent years, automakers have been hit hard in recent times by slowing demand for electric vehicles.
German luxury carmaker Audi said Tuesday it is considering closing its Brussels plant making electric vehicles due to a global decline in demand for high-end electric cars.

The manufacturer, whose parent company is Volkswagen, said it is weighing up the "early end of production" of its Q8 e-tron models at the factory.

Management are discussing "solutions for the (Brussels) site," and this "may also include a cessation of operations if no alternative is found", it said in a statement.

The site employs about 3,000 people.

Audi cited a "global decline in customer orders in the electric luxury class segment" as a reason.

After investing heavily in the shift to electromobility in recent years, automakers have been hit hard in recent times by slowing demand for electric vehicles.

Volkswagen -- whose 10 brands also include Porsche, Seat and Skoda -- said closing the Brussels plant, or finding alternative uses for it, as well as other unplanned expenses would have an impact of as much as 2.6 billion euros (USD 2.8 billion) in the 2024 financial year.

As a result, the car giant lowered its forecast for operating returns this year to 6.5-7.0% from 7.0-7.5% previously.

As well as the slowdown in demand for electric cars, Audi cited "long-standing structural challenges" at the Brussels site.

These include a plant layout that is hard to change and high logistics costs.

A consultation process will now be carried out about next steps, Audi said.

"The announcement of the intention does not mean that a decision has been made," said Volker Germann, CEO of Audi Brussels.

"Nevertheless, this news has been felt very profoundly by the employees in Brussels."

Rita Beck, spokeswoman for the Audi Committee in the European VW Group Works Council, said Audi staff representatives were "calling for long-term prospects for the plant and our colleagues in Brussels. Audi management must take responsibility for the site."

In the first quarter of this year, Volkswagen reported a more than 20% fall in profits with deliveries of more expensive models, including Audis, slipping.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

Ola Electric responds to ARAI notice, says prices of S1 X 2 kWh scooter unchanged

Ola Electric provided an invoice dated October 6, showing a INR 5,000 discount given to customers, a...

Hyundai Motor IPO’s off to a slow start

Around 35% of the total shares in the offering are reserved for retail investors, while QIBs and NII...

Under fire, Ola Electric taps EY India to get back on track

Close to a dozen executives from EY came on-board at Ola Electric a few weeks ago on deputation for ...

Tata Motors secures 5-star BNCAP safety ratings for Nexon, Curvv, and EV models in latest crash tests

Tata Curvv.EV BNCAP testTata Motors did it again! Tata Motors has once again secured 5 star rating i...

India needs to step up manufacturing to meet Viksit Bharat goal: Volvo Grp India MD

Volvo Group India Managing Director and President, Kamal Bali. The manufacturing sector is a weak li...

Dollar pullback to help Indian rupee, weak risk appetite to weigh

Investors are now nearly certain that the U.S. Federal Reserve will deliver a 25-basis-point rate cu...