Audi to build production plant in Mexico; new SUV begins production in 2016
19 April 2012
AUDI AG Board of Management and Supervisory Board of AUDI AG approved plans to build a North American plant in Mexico. The exact location for the new plant, which will manufacture an SUV model starting in 2016, will be chosen by AUDI AG later this year.
The group parent Volkswagen already has an automotive plant in Puebla and an engine plant in Silao.
It will be possible to supply customers worldwide with cars built in Mexico to Audi’s renowned standard of quality. In launching production operations in Mexico, Audi will enhance its own competitiveness and move significantly closer to its sales target of two million units per year by 2020.
—Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Marketing and Sales
At Auto China 2012 in Beijing, Audi is presenting a themed compact SUV based on the Q3—the RS Q3 concept.
The 2.5 TFSI in the RS Q3 concept combines gasoline direct injection and turbocharging. From 2,480 cc of engine displacement, it generates 265 kW (360 hp) of power. The car accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.2 seconds, with a top speed of 265 km/h (165 mph).
A seven-speed S tronic transfers the power of the TFSI to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Generally, force flows almost exclusively to the front wheels. When slip is detected there, the all-wheel drive can redistribute forces to the rear axle via a hydraulic multi-plate clutch with electronic control.
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