Audi in Brussels (Belgium)
Since the December 2022, Audi Brussels has been manufacturing the Audi Q8 e-tron and the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, the four rings’ flagship electric SUVs, here. Previously, Audi’s first all-electric model, the Audi e-tron was made here. At the start of 2020, it began series production of the Audi e-tron Sportback. Furthermore, the Brussels plant is the world’s first carbon-neutral high-volume production facility in the premium segment, as certified by independent experts. Current model series at location: Audi Q8 e-tron, Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron
Production Sites Audi Group
Peter D’hoore
David Helm
Treated wastewater now being used in production in a ‘closed loop’ model Cooperation with Hydria will save approximately 100,000 cubic meters of drinking water per year Sustainable water use is a key area of activity under the cross-site environmental program Mission:Zero
As of this date, Audi Brussels is using treated water in manufacturing and testing processes, under its pioneering “Re-Use” program. This joint project with the Belgian company Hydria, which specializes in the collection and treatment of wastewater, marks a significant step forward for water conservation in automotive manufacturing.
Audi Brussels continues to expand its sustainability initiatives, and the launch of its “Re-Use” project is a major milestone in an important aspect of sustainability: reducing water consumption. In automotive manufacturing, water is used primarily in paint shops and for vehicle leak testing. Thanks to a cooperation with the Belgian company Hydria, the company is now able to reuse water in a cyclical model with virtually no loss. Industrial wastewater from the Brussels site is treated, not to drinking water quality but for repeated use in plant processes. Recycling water in a closed loop In partnership with the Brussels region, Hydria manages the Brussels South wastewater treatment plant located near the Audi facility. This is where the industrial wastewater from production is treated and then returned to the Audi plant. The approach allows Audi Brussels to integrate the treated wastewater in its industrial processes. By implementing this closed loop, the site is able to save approximately 100,000 cubic meters of drinking water per year, the equivalent of about 40 Olympic swimming pools. This makes Audi Brussels the first company to permanently implement this solution in cooperation with Hydria.
The Brussels plant is over 70 years old. On April 7, 1949, the first vehicle rolled off the production line. From 1970 until the plant was taken over by AUDI AG in 2007, the site belonged to Volkswagen AG and manufactured various Volkswagen Group models. After the takeover, the Brussels location assumed an important role in the Audi Group. The start of production of the Audi A1 in 2010 marked a new era. In the history of the plant, the Audi A1 was the first model to be manufactured exclusively in the European capital. Audi Brussels expanded its production to include the Audi A1 Sportback in 2011, before adding the Audi S1 and Audi S1 Sportback models in 2014. In 2012, Audi Brussels manufactured the Audi A1 quattro as a special limited-edition model. On August 1, 2018, the last first-generation Audi A1 came off the production line in Brussels. In total, almost 910,000 Audi A1 cars had been manufactured in Brussels since May 2010.
There are 3,033 employees (as of: 12/31/2023) at the Brussels location. Of these employees, 886 work in production-related jobs and 2,147 work directly in production itself. The three workplace languages are French, Dutch, and German. At Audi Brussels, employee welfare is paramount. A prime example of this is the plant's very own health center. With its Audi Check-Up, it offers a health care program for the entire workforce. Nurses and doctors work there for the health of employees. Audi Brussels is one of the few companies in Belgium that offers this service. Audi Brussels has a good, productive working relationship with the trade unions. In a joint letter of intent (LOI) from 2007, the board of management and the trade unions defined the framework for good cooperation. An important component is the flexible working time account, which has been in place at Audi Brussels since 2010. The “Dual Education” program gives students from two partner schools the opportunity to completed part of their education and training on site at the company. Audi Brussels cooperates with the Erasmushogeschool Brussel and the francophone school “Institute Don Bosco” in Woluwe Saint Pierre. The project allows students to accumulate more practical experience during their education. A further goal is to attract more young people in Belgium to technical and vocational courses. To increase diversity at the site, Audi Brussels has drawn up and implemented a diversity roadmap. In December 2018, Audi Brussels was awarded the Diversity Label of the Brussels-Capital region. Created by the Brussels employment agency in 2008, the award helps companies combat discrimination. In addition, Audi helps its employees maintain a good work-life balance through the various phases of life by means of individual and flexible working-time models.
Mission:Zero at the Brussels site The Brussels plant is the world’s first certifiedcarbon-neutral high-volume production facilityin the premium segment. Audi Brussels offsets all emissions generated in manufacturing and other areas of the company at the site. It does this primarily by purchasing and generating renewable energy, but also through environmental projects. Independent assessors have certified its carbon neutrality. Audi Brussels has installed a photovoltaic power plant on the plant grounds, covering a total area of 107,000 square meters. In fact, the plant operates the largest photovoltaic power plant in the Brussels region, generating approximately 9,000 megawatt hours of electricity every year. This saves around 1,700 metric tons of CO2. The Brussels site follows the most stringent of environmental standards. In 2013, the Brussels region declared the plant to be an “Ecodynamic Company,” a regional environmental certificate that is awarded every three years. Audi Brussels achieved the highest rating of three stars. Since 2001, the Brussels location has also been certified according to the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). 1 Audi understands net-zero carbon emissions to mean a situation in which, after other possible reduction measures have been exhausted, the company offsets the carbon emitted by Audi’s products or activities and/or the carbon emissions that currently cannot be avoided in the supply chain, manufacturing, and recycling of Audi vehicles through voluntary offsetting projects carried out worldwide. In this context, carbon emissions generated during a vehicle’s utilization stage, i.e., from the time it is delivered to the customer, are not considered.
Since the December 2022, Audi Brussels has been manufacturing the Audi Q8 e-tron and the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, the four rings’ flagship electric SUVs, here. Previously, Audi’s first all-electric model, the Audi e-tron was made here. At the start of 2020, it began series production of the Audi e-tron Sportback. Furthermore, the Brussels plant is the world’s first carbon-neutral high-volume production facility in the premium segment, as certified by independent experts. Audi Brussels has achieved this primarily through renewable energy and concentrates its efforts in three main spheres of action: The first sphere of action is the switch to green electricity, which was accomplished in 2012. To this end, Audi Brussels installed the largest photovoltaic power plant (107,000 square meters) in the region on its premises. The second sphere of action involved heating the location with renewable energy. Both these spheres together cover about 95 percent of its energy needs. Emissions that the company cannot yet avoid by means of renewable energy sources are offset using carbon credit projects (third sphere of action). The carbon-neutral plant at Audi Brussels is therefore the ideal production location for the brand’s first all-electric cars and to advance the cause of sustainable e-mobility with green electricity. Audi has built up a wide variety of skills and expertise inside the company for the Audi e-tron and developed both the battery technology and the powertrain itself. The production team in Brussels restructured and re-implemented many manufacturing steps. Since the summer of 2016, the plant comprehensively reconstructed its body manufacture, paint shop, and assembly and set up its own battery manufacturing capabilities. For the first all-electric Audi, employees received a total of more than 200,000 hours of training. Since June 2010, Audi Brussels has offered public tours of the plant.
That makes Audi Hungaria the Audi Group’s third carbon-neutral site after Audi Brussels and Ingolstadt. Since 1999, Audi Hungaria has used an environmental management system that adheres to the stringent guidelines set by the EU’s EMAS regulation and the international environmental standard ISO 14001 requirements. The company has also integrated its certified energy management system in accordance with ISO 50001 since 2011. Audi Hungaria’s environmental management system has EMAS register number 1 in Hungary – clear evidence of the company’s environmental commitment. Audi Hungaria is Hungary’s biggest consumer of geothermal energy. Over 70 percent of the heat energy that the company needs has been covered by geothermal energy since 2015. The system provides Audi Hungaria with at least 82,000 megawatt hours of heat energy each year. In this way, the company reduces its CO2 emissions by around 17,000 tons per year. In cooperation with DB Cargo, Audi transports components, engines, and vehicles between its plants in Ingolstadt, Brussels, and Győr carbon neutrally by “green trains”. In 2020, Audi Hungaria, together with E.ON Hungaria, set up a solar energy park covering about 160,000 square meters (1,722,226 sq. ft.) on the roofs of Audi Hungaria's two logistics centers. The result is Europe’s largest rooftop photovoltaic system on the site in Győr. It has a peak output of 12 megawatts. Audi Hungaria uses four levers to advance decarbonization in Győr. The top priority is to reduce energy consumption through targeted measures. The company also switched entirely to green electricity from renewable sources, predominantly solar energy. That means that Audi Hungaria relies intensively on solar energy – thanks to the implementation of Europe’s largest rooftop photovoltaic system. The second source is heat energy from geothermal energy. In its third step, Audi Hungaria covers its natural gas consumption with biomethane certificates.
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. The Audi Q6 e-tron series, as well as all other vehicles built at the site, have been made with net zero emissions1 since 2024. State-of-the-art production technology in the new battery assembly facility One example of how Audi is modernizing and expanding its existing systems is the new battery assembly facility for PPE models. On an area of around 30,000 square meters (323,000 sq ft), 300 employees work in three shifts with an automation rate of almost 90 percent to assemble up to 1,000 high-voltage batteries per day – initially for the Q6 e-tron series. At the same time, the brand with the four rings is gaining important experience that it will later use to also produce battery modules itself.