MUNICH- German carmaker Audi’s plant in Brussels, which employs around 3,000 people, has been threatened with closure, the German news agency (dpa) reported.
Audi, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, is considering discontinuing production of the Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron models there ahead of schedule, the company announced.
As these are the only models currently being produced in Brussels, Audi now has plans to restructure and has started an information and consultation process as prescribed by Belgian law. At the end of this process, the plant may be closed if no alternatives are found.
The company said the Q8 e-tron model family is being affected by “a segment-specific, intensified decline in demand” and that there are also “structural challenges at the Brussels site”, which are leading to comparatively high production costs.
The head of Audi Brussels, Volker German, emphasised that the announcement of the intention to restructure is “not yet a final decision”.
The VW Group works council called for “a future-proof perspective for the plant” and for the workers in Brussels.
Audi did not comment on how long the process would take. However, comparable cases in the past have taken anywhere from a few months to almost a year.
— BERNAMA-dpa
