VRT News — 2023-10-09
Automotive Industry
Management at the Audi car factory in the Brussels municipality of Vorst has announced that the start of production of a new model, the electric crossover SUV the Q4, is being put on hold. Production of the Q4 at Audi Brussels was due to have got under way early next month. The announcement that the start of production is being put on hold was made during an extraordinary meeting of the Works Council at Audi Brussels on Monday morning.
The decision will not impact employment levels at the plant where the Q8 e-tron is built in the coming weeks. However, the longer-term consequences of the decision are still unclear.
On Monday morning the morning shift didn’t clock on. Whether or not the strike will continue remains to be seen.
Audi Brussels was to have built around 40,000 electric Q4s between November 2023 and mid-2026. Preparations have already been made and production lines made ready for the start of production of the Q4. Around 100 to 200 Q4s will still be built at Audi Brussels this year in order to test the production line.
The unions at Audi Brussels say that demand for electric cars, such as the Q4, is lower than had been expected. Subsidies for electric vehicles have been reduced in various countries. Meanwhile the purchase price of electric cars remains high. Another issue is that of infrastructure and it is not always easy to find somewhere to charge your electric car.
Audi Brussels has 3,000 permanent staff and around 500 temporary staff.