Stadler, Audi: We are not ruling out Romania for a new plant

The chairman of Audi AG’s Board of Directors, the premium division of the German group VW-Audi, told ZF Audi was considering building a new plant, in order to increase production capacities, with a view to boosting the number of models manufactured in the next few years. Given the 15 new models that we plan to launch by 2015, Audi will require a more extensive production capacity. Currently, we are considering building a new plant, which will allow this, and we are conducting studies on a potential location,” said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Directors of Audi AG. When asked whether Romania was on the list, he said Eastern European countries were being considered, Romania included. Last week, Ovidiu Silaghi, Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Trade and Tourism, said that in addition to Mercedes Benz, Audi was also interested in building a vehicle manufacturing plant in Romania, and added that plans were merely in a burgeoning stage, and there was no set location yet. Brent Valmar, General Manager of Porsche Romania, Audi’s importer on the local market, told ZF that it was rather unlikely that Audi would build a manufacturing facility in Romania.