No deal: Audi factory in Brussels closes in February
Confirmation of the closure of Audi Brussels, birthplace of the Q8 e-tron, leaves almost 3,000 workers at home
The latest negotiations to find a buyer have failed and therefore the Audi plant in Brussels, Belgium, will close on 28 February 2025.
The confirmation comes from Peter D'hoore, spokesman for the German carmaker, who yesterday reiterated that no alternative to the plant closure has been found.
Goodbye Audi Q8 e-tron
The news reported by Reuters also adds a comment from Audi's head of production, Gerd Walker, who said:
"The decision to close the Brussels plant is painful. Personally, it was the hardest choice I have ever had to make in my professional career'.
Production of the Q8 e-tron at the Audi factory in Brussels
Within a couple of months, production at the Belgian factory of the Audi Q8 e-tron, the electric SUV born in 2019 simply with the name 'e-tron' and which for the time being has no successor, will therefore be discontinued.
To see a new battery-powered Audi SUV with similar dimensions and features to the Q8 e-tron will have to wait at least until the end of 2026, when a new electric model could be unveiled for production in Mexico.
No interested buyer
The closure of Audi's plant in the small town of Forest is the consequence of a series of decisions that led the German brand to divest the factory and look for a buyer that has never been found.
Only a few months ago Audi had spoken of negotiations with another manufacturer intent on investing in the production site near Brussels, while the Belgian media had reported the interest of the Chinese company Nio in the same plant. But Nio's CEO himself, William Li, had later denied the news.
A solution to be found for the 3,000 Audi workers
One problem to be solved will be that of the almost 3,000 'Audi Brussels' employees who will be out of work as of next March. Negotiations between Audi and the unions seem to have failed and now the German manufacturer is ready to present its proposals for statutory redundancy payments and voluntary bonuses based on seniority directly to the workers.
As an example, D'hoore himself explained that a worker with 17 years of service in the Audi factory would receive between €125,000 and €190,000 gross (including the Audi voluntary bonus and statutory redundancy pay), depending on position and salary.
Industry in conflict:
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