Audi Brussels to produce exclusively e-tron quattro SUV, battery packs; A1 production moving to Spain
20 January 2016
As of 2018, Audi Brussels will produce exclusively the commercial version of Audi’s e-tron quattro battery-electric SUV (earlier post). The plant will also produce its own battery packs. The site in Belgium will thus become a key plant for electric mobility at the Volkswagen Group.
Audi will transfer production of the Audi A1 from Brussels to Martorell in Spain; in 2014, Audi Brussels produced 115,378 Audi A1 models. The Audi Q3, currently produced in Spain, will be built in Győr (Hungary) in the future. The model rotation will benefit all the sites of its global production network, Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler said.
The new model distribution will enhance our production efficiency and strengthen all of the sites involved. It will allow us to utilize further synergies within the Volkswagen Group and to bundle key competencies.
—Rupert Stadler
The Audi e-tron quattro concept study that was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015 provides a clear indication of the final production version. The sporty SUV will fit between the Audi Q7 and the Audi Q5 in the product portfolio.
Equipped with three electric motors and a high‑capacity battery, the Audi e-tron model will offer a maximum of sportiness, driving dynamics (earlier post) and efficiency. It will have full everyday practicality with a range of more than 500 kilometers (311 miles) and will feature quick battery charging.
The site in Hungary already produces four Audi models: the Audi A3 Sedan, the Audi A3 Cabriolet, the Audi TT and the Audi TT Roadster.
A range of over 500 Km and quick recharge will make this SUV a real/practical extended range BEV?
Hope that many others will follow.
Posted by: HarveyD | 20 January 2016 at 08:27 AM