Audi could set up module production at Böllinger Höfe

This was reported by Automobilwoche, citing company sources, but Audi later confirmed the essence of the information. There, the carmaker will manufacture up to 1,000 battery modules per day for its future Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).

“As part of the electrification of the sites, we plan to expand the vertical range of manufacture. That includes the production of batteries or battery modules,” says an Audi spokesperson. “One potentially suitable location for this is Böllinger Höfe Heilbronn [Germany].”

Audi operates a sort of off-site facility of the Neckarsulm plant in Böllinger Höfe. It built the R8 combustion sports car there, and Audi expanded the site a few years ago to include the production of the e-tron GT. With the end of R8 production, the “battery relocation is seen as a positive sign to the employees”, Automobilwoche writes.

Battery assembly at Böllinger Höfe makes sense for several reasons. Firstly, Audi has been pursuing the strategy of assembling the battery modules near its vehicle plants for years – the company operates module assembly centres in Brussels (Q8 e-tron) and Ingolstadt (Q6 e-tron). As Audi has decided to also build electric cars in all German plants in the future, module production near Neckarsulm is an obvious choice. And the Neckarsulm/Heilbronn region will become an “Audi competence centre for high-voltage batteries” – here, too, it makes sense to have its own module production facility.

The Neckarsulm vehicle plant, where Audi currently manufactures its upper mid-range and full-size models, will likely be an important customer for the battery modules from the Böllinger Höfe. According to Automobilwoche, the modules are intended for the “Progressive brand group,” in which the Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini brands are bundled within the VW Group. In other words, the manufacturer could supply some of the modules to England and Italy.

automobilwoche.de (in German)