Audi to resume production of the Q8 e-tron on Thursday

That the plant in Brussels will shut down has been known for several months, and the assembly lines have been at a standstill since November – initially due to strikes by the disgruntled workforce, later apparently due to a lack of parts. Suppliers were also anything but pleased that production at the Audi factory ended prematurely and that orders were cancelled.

Some thus assumed that no more Q8 e-tron would leave the factory in the Belgian capital before the official plant closure. However, that is not the case, as Audi confirmed to electrive. “Having recently launched a joint social plan for the employees of Audi Brussels, we are currently concentrating on the resumption of production, which is planned for 6 February,” a spokesperson said.

Audi does not specify how many vehicles will be built in the remaining three weeks, but admits that it is below its own plan. ‘Due to the restructuring at the Brussels site and the resulting consequences in recent weeks and months, fewer vehicles could be produced than initially planned,” the spokesperson continues. “In light of these developments, we unfortunately have to cancel some customer orders that had already been placed. We will inform affected customers immediately via our dealers. We will of course offer them the opportunity to switch to another attractive model in our new BEV portfolio.”

In other words, some customers will still receive their Q8 e-tron, and others will not. Such cancellations have already been shared in forums – including the offer to order a Q6 e-tron at a discount.

The plant in Brussels has been considered to be underutilised for years. It has been an all-electric factory since 2018, initially with the Audi e-tron quattro, later renamed the Q8 e-tron. The plant is designed for 120,000 vehicles per year, but the SUV model has exceeded the 47,900 vehicles in 2022. Audi repeatedly criticised the location of the Brussels plant in the past for hindering expansion and internal logistics – both of which are necessary to operate the site economically. The plant is located directly on a railway line, which is why no expansion areas are actually accessible. In 2024, Audi decided to build the successor to the Q8 e-tron in Mexico and no longer operate the Brussels plant. Instead, Audi had been looking for a buyer for the plant until autumn, but then gave up the search at the end of November.

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