Photo: Audi
Audi Brussels S.A./N.V. has announced that it will temporarily halt car production following this morning's terrorist bombings.
The Belgian government states that after successive explosions at the local airport and subway, 31 people have been killed and 198 are injured. However, the media is reporting fatalities are already as high as 38 and expected to rise above 40 by the end of the day. It's a sad day for the country and the entire European Union.
Audi is concerned about further potential attacks and what they could mean for its employees. So the company has canceled the third shift of today. All 1,100 employees have been notified not to come to the factory and advised to stay home.
Audi has been making the A1 family exclusively at its factory located in the European capital since 2010. Last year, approximately 116,250 automobiles drove off the production line there.
Missing the evening shift means that 250 units of the A1 subcompact will not be produced. A decision regarding tomorrow morning's shift has not yet been made, as Audi is awaiting the all-clear from the authorities. According to Automotive News, no Audi employees have been confirmed as victims of the bomb attacks.
Around two and a half thousand people work for Audi in Brussels. However, several changes are expected to take place in coming years. The next-generation A1 model will be assembled in Martorell, Spain. The Q3 crossover made there will be moved to Gyor, Hungary, sharing the facility with its A3 sister car.
Finally, Brussels will get a new and far more technologically advanced vehicle to assemble, the e-tron quattro. It's the first all-electric production model in Audi history. Only two weeks ago, the factory was visited by the His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who checked out the e-tron SUV concept (second photo below).
Audi is concerned about further potential attacks and what they could mean for its employees. So the company has canceled the third shift of today. All 1,100 employees have been notified not to come to the factory and advised to stay home.
Audi has been making the A1 family exclusively at its factory located in the European capital since 2010. Last year, approximately 116,250 automobiles drove off the production line there.
Missing the evening shift means that 250 units of the A1 subcompact will not be produced. A decision regarding tomorrow morning's shift has not yet been made, as Audi is awaiting the all-clear from the authorities. According to Automotive News, no Audi employees have been confirmed as victims of the bomb attacks.
Around two and a half thousand people work for Audi in Brussels. However, several changes are expected to take place in coming years. The next-generation A1 model will be assembled in Martorell, Spain. The Q3 crossover made there will be moved to Gyor, Hungary, sharing the facility with its A3 sister car.
Finally, Brussels will get a new and far more technologically advanced vehicle to assemble, the e-tron quattro. It's the first all-electric production model in Audi history. Only two weeks ago, the factory was visited by the His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium and Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who checked out the e-tron SUV concept (second photo below).
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