The Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt is the first Audi plant in Germany with its own battery assembly facility Integration of production into existing body shop and assembly structures The Q6 e-tron series rolls off the production line in Ingolstadt with net zero emissions
Since production started in late 2023, the Audi Q6 e-tron series has been the first high-volume fully electric model series that Audi has produced at its headquarters in Ingolstadt. In keeping with the brand’s 360factory production strategy, Audi has integrated individual production steps into existing body shop and assembly structures and processes. Since January 1, 2024, Ingolstadt is the third Audi location to manufacture with net zero emissions1, following Brussels (2018) and Győr (2020). In addition, the brand with the four rings’ headquarters is also the first Audi location in Germany to have its own battery assembly facility.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner emphasizes the significance of the first model based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE): “The PPE, and with it the Q6 e-tron series, form the basis for subsequent electric Audi models. In this way, we are taking a decisive step towards offering an electric model in all core segments by 2027.” Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker sees the start of production as an important milestone for the 360factory production strategy: “By the end of the decade, we will have successively equipped all Audi locations for the production of electric models. We are harnessing electrification to comprehensively transform our existing plants. With the production of the Q6 e-tron series, the Ingolstadt plant is taking the next step towards becoming a 360factory.” Audi has a clear vision for the production of the future. As part of this holistic, sustainable approach, the company is modernizing, digitalizing, and transforming its existing plants.
At the next evening of lectures at the Audi museum mobile, the two experts Gerhard Wickern and Horst-Dieter Görg will provide insights into the history of wind tunnels and a particularly aerodynamic vehicle called the Schlörwagen – also known as the “Göttingen Egg”. The event starts at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, at the Audi museum mobile. Registration is required.
Production of the upcoming fully electric Audi Q6 e-tron series, as well as all other vehicles built at the site, will be net carbon-neutral Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker: “By transitioning the Ingolstadt site to renewable energies, we are taking a major step toward our goal of net carbon-neutral vehicle production” As part of the environmental program Mission:Zero, all Audi sites will be net carbon-neutral by 2025
The Audi plant in Ingolstadt began net carbon-neutral production on January 1, 2024. After Brussels (Belgium, 2018) and Győr (Hungary, 2020), it is the third Audi plant to operate with net zero emissions. In addition are the Audi R8 and e-tron GT quattro models, which have been built at Böllinger Höfe with net zero emissions since 2020. As part of its Mission:Zero environmental program, Audi has set itself the goal of achieving net carbon neutrality at all its sites worldwide by 2025. By then, the final steps will have been taken in Neckarsulm and San José Chiapa (Mexico).
Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker emphasizes: “Protecting the environment as best as possible is firmly anchored in Audi’s corporate strategy. By transitioning the Ingolstadt site to renewable energies, we are taking a major step toward our goal of net carbon-neutral1 vehicle production.” To achieve its ambitious goal, the brand with the four rings is implementing a four-pillar concept.
1. Increasing energy efficiency In the first pillar, Audi is improving energy efficiency at its sites, which will already avoid large amounts of carbon emissions.
The plant with the four rings on Ettinger Strasse, now as big as the Principality of Monaco, was built in the late 1950s on a greenfield site on the outskirts of Ingolstadt. Audi historian Ralf Friese will recount how it all began in his lecture on Wednesday, November 15, entitled “The ‘New Plant’ – The History of the Auto Union Plant on Ettinger Strasse”. The lecture begins at 6 PM at the Audi museum mobile; registration is required.
Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer merged to form Auto Union AG in 1932. The new company was headquartered in Chemnitz. After the Second World War, the Soviet Union dismantled most of the four brands’ plants in East Germany. However, some former Auto Union employees were able to make a fresh start in the West as early as the end of 1945 – initially with a central depot for Auto Union spare parts in Ingolstadt. They worked for several years at various locations in downtown Ingolstadt until 1958, when the cornerstone was laid for a new Auto Union plant on the city's outskirts. By December of that year, the building on Ettinger Strasse was structurally complete, and production of the DKW Junior began in the summer of 1959. To register for the lecture at the Audi museum mobile, email veranstaltungen.museum@audi.de or call +49 841 89-34433. Registration will end on Monday, November 13. The event begins at 6 PM on Wednesday, November 15; doors open at 5:30 PM. Notice for media professionals: You are cordially invited – please register in advance by emailing daniela.henger@audi.de.
A varied program for around 90,000 guests at the Audi sites in Ingolstadt, Münchsmünster, and Neuburg Exclusive glimpses behind the scenes: guests can discover points of interest, such as the wind tunnel or the production facility for the Audi Q6 e-tron series Audi CEO Gernot Döllner: “Our Family Festival is a thank you to the Audi team and their families”
The Audi Family Festival will take place on Saturday, October 7, 2023, under the motto “Experience Audi!”. Around 90,000 guests have registered for the event at the Ingolstadt, Münchsmünster, and Neuburg sites. Audi employees and their families will learn about production and technical development, meet high-profile athletes, and enjoy a cultural program with more than 160 musicians, including Audi employees, performing on eight stages.
“Audi thrives thanks to our strong team,” says new Audi CEO Gernot Döllner. “Days like this show what we can put on the roads with our Audi spirit. Guests will get a behind-the-scenes look at how we develop and build great cars at our plants, cars that delight customers around the world.” Audi employees will provide insights into their work and the future viability of the main plant in Ingolstadt, where the Q6 e-tron series - the first fully electric model to come from Ingolstadt, is built. And it’s not only the product that is sustainable; production at the plant itself will be net carbon neutral from 2024. The Audi family puts on a celebration for the whole family From body construction and Audi Sport customer racing to corporate citizenship: In recent months, numerous departments have worked to bring the brand’s past, present, and future to life. It will be a celebration by the Audi family for Audi families. And there will be something for everyone, whether they are a fan of technology, music, or motorsport. Guests can look forward to an exclusive glimpse into the production and technical development areas – and in keeping with the event’s motto, “Experience Audi!”
The official opening of the incampus technology park was attended by Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder and Mayor of Ingolstadt Christian Scharpf. On the former refinery site, Audi and its partners will work on the future of mobility. Audi already has a new Vehicle Safety Center and an IT Center at the site, and the Volkswagen Group’s software company CARIAD also has its biggest tech hub there.
IN-Campus GmbH is a joint venture between the City of Ingolstadt, through its holding company IFG AöR, and AUDI AG. It created a technology park that’s already being used by the VW software company CARIAD and the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, among other companies. With the official opening of the incampus, Audi is also celebrating the inauguration of its new Vehicle Safety Center on the site. The company’s new IT Center on the incampus started operations back in 2022. Space for more companies and institutions will be opened up in subsequent construction phases. At the opening ceremony, the technology park was officially inaugurated by Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder, Mayor of Ingolstadt Christian Scharpf, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and CARIAD CEO Peter Bosch. "With the opening of the incampus in Ingolstadt, a modern innovation and technology center for mobility has been created at a former refinery. Science, research, innovation, and ecology come together here," said Minister-President Söder. “The constant change in our city can be seen at the incampus. Innovation and the future are being created at the former refinery site – and with them, new innovative jobs. I’m also pleased that we were able to restore substantial areas to nature after the remediation. This successful cooperation between business and municipality in the remediation and development of the site is exemplary. The incampus is a major win for Ingolstadt,” Mayor Scharpf said. For Audi, too, this collaboration with the city may serve as a role model for other regions.
The most important statements at a glance:
Gernot Döllner on the importance of the incampus for Audi: What Audi and the City of Ingolstadt accomplished together at the incampus can be a beacon for other regions. In order to develop the incampus sustainably, we are extending the joint venture between Audi and the City of Ingolstadt for another ten years. At the incampus, we can realize our vision: Vehicles that are truly developed around software. The official opening today is therefore a strong signal: We are locating forward-looking topics here and putting them into practice. Gernot Döllner on cooperation across business and politics: At the municipal level, there are many opportunities for cooperation across business and politics. In this regard, the incampus is definitely exemplary. Both in terms of sustainability, but also in terms of state-of-the-art workplaces, for example in the new vehicle safety center. In addition to internal partners like CARIAD, we also need external partners like from politics. The expansion of the charging infrastructure is certainly the most urgent problem on which we in business and politics must work together closely. Peter Bosch on the importance of incampus for CARIAD: Ingolstadt has always stood for leading the way. As CARIAD, we are represented in Wolfsburg, Berlin, Beijing, and Silicon Valley, for example - but our largest location is here at the incampus in Ingolstadt. The incampus is a place where Vorsprung (German for advantage) becomes a reality. Data is the new oil, and we will use it to win the race. Peter Bosch on automated driving in Europe: Through the Automated Driving Alliance with Bosch, we here in Ingolstadt are the only ones in Europe developing our own tech stack for automated driving. Our CARIAD Pioneering Fleet will grow to 1,000 vehicles by 2024. These are high-tech vehicles with twelve cameras and a high-performance computer. With them, we are laying the foundation for making driving safer than ever before.
As production of the fully electric Q6 e-tron series begins, Audi is advertising new production jobs in Ingolstadt Xavier Ros: “The path to e-mobility provides a high volume of employment and new jobs” In addition to creating jobs specifically for e-mobility, Audi continues to drive employee qualification in fields of the future
Audi is kicking off the largest model initiative in its history with the start of production for the new Audi Q6 e-tron series based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE). The first fully electric model series to be made in Ingolstadt demonstrates how Audi is preparing and qualifying its employees for the new era of electric mobility.
“With 500 additional jobs for the production of our new fully electric Q6 e-tron, we are showing that our transition to electric mobility is a driver of job creation. By guaranteeing a high volume of employment and new jobs, electrification will increase job security at our German locations,” says Xavier Ros, Chief Human Resources Officer at Audi. That is why, Audi is also considering temporary employees who already work in Ingolstadt in the application process. In addition to creating jobs specifically for e-mobility, the transformation of the workforce is an essential part of Audi’s transition to electric mobility. “Our employees who continue to gain qualifications and reinvent themselves professionally is what makes the transition to electric mobility possible,” adds Ros. To this end, Audi provides numerous training and development opportunities for employees. The focus is on developing and qualifying existing employees for new tasks. Over the past 18 months, Audi has qualified around 8,300 employees from Production, Technical Development, and Sales in Ingolstadt ahead of the launch of the Q6 e-tron series. In 2022 alone, AUDI AG invested around 150 million euros into the training and development of its employees.