Unions have been left surprised after Audi Brussels has confirmed that there are no plans to produce its flagship car model at its Forest site in Brussels beyond 2025.
The Belgian site produces a top-of-the-range electric car, the Q8 e-tron SUV. However, falling demand and high production costs have left the fate of the factory in uncertain hands.
Over 3,000 direct jobs are at risk, along with several hundred subcontractors.
Staff at the plant did not return to work on Wednesday morning as due, with unions believing plans to stop producing the car model could mean the end of the factory.
Joaquin Malpica, who has worked as a logistics subcontractor at the plant since 2006, said: “I’m angry at everything that’s happening, angry at the decision to close the site. If only there were alternatives to keep the site, but we don’t believe in that.”
Audi Brussels’ spokesman, Peter D’Hoore, said that the factory may not necessarily close.
“There are still a number of possibilities. One of these avenues, for example, is that we are looking to integrate certain projects that can be integrated here on our site. To give an example: We could think of producing parts for other factories,” D’Hoore said.
In July, Audi Brussels announced plans to restructure the Brussels site, which employs over 3,000 people, citing less demand for the SUV it produces and “long-standing structural challenges”.
German manufacturer Volkswagen, which controls the Audi brand, is Europe’s leading carmaker. This week, the company announced it is considering closing several plants in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history.
The decision is part of a savings plan as the company faces tougher competition from outside Europe. Volkswagen’s CEO, Oliver Blume, said in a statement that “new players are pushing into Europe. Germany as a business location is falling further behind in terms of competitiveness.”
Unions at the plant in Brussels will receive more information about alternative projects for the site on 17 September, including an overview of potential buyers.
