With parent Volkswagen actively searching for a site to build its first assembly plant Stateside, it now seems luxury brand Audi may piggyback on the effort and produce some of its own cars here, or even build a plant all its own. Audi and other European makers are having a tough time in the U.S. markets thanks largely to the strong euro versus the value of the dollar.
“There are no signs right now of this situation letting up,” said Chief Executive Rupert Stadler in a Reuters report, to be said at Audi’s annual general meeting on Wednesday. While a U.S. plant for Audi is far from confirmed, the latest comments from the executive are the strongest hints as to the possibility thus far.
Other challenges to do with costs include increased prices of raw materials such as raw steel, precious metals and aluminum. Back in March at the Geneva show, Audi said it wouldn’t bring the new Scirocco hot hatch Stateside on account of the weak dollar-to-euro conversion.
At the same meeting, Stadler will announce the manufacturer would strive to meet its goal of reducing its fleet’s fuel consumption by a minimum of 20 percent by 2012. This year, the automaker could realize 18 percent fuel economy improvements, including cutting CO2 emissions by about 6 percent.
05/07, 10:06 AM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
What’s the german word for bra?
….. “keepemfromfloppin”
05/07, 10:33 AM
posted by:
Jon Luc
Of course it’ll have to be one of the most popular N.American models like the A4 or the A6.
05/07, 10:37 AM
posted by:
Jon Luc
The Q7 will still be built in Europe.
05/07, 11:05 AM
posted by:
A4
Well BMW and Benz both have plants here so why not?
05/07, 11:05 AM
posted by:
A4
and i think it was VW that said they wouldnt bring the scirocco here…
05/07, 11:11 AM
posted by:
Fletch
Are there any UAW transplants?
05/07, 11:37 AM
posted by:
400horseSS
^Nope, just dirt poor trailer trash making $50k cars making $12 an hour.
05/07, 12:06 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Ugh, just what we need, more FWDs….
05/07, 12:43 PM
posted by:
moto-racer13
Why the hell would audi want to build cars in the US?? Wouldn’t it be cheaper and better for them to build cars in Canada because atleast they got universal health care which would save audi thousands per worker. Also American assembly line workers are known world wide as lacking attention to detail, lazy, and always wanting more without giving more. I would never buy an American built car these days with the stupid battle betweend automakers and unions, leaving the customer with a car built by people who hate the company they work for, and not caring about the job they do.
05/07, 12:56 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
^You feel better now.
05/07, 6:24 PM
posted by:
DialM4Speed
“Nope, just dirt poor trailer trash making $50k cars making $12 an hour.”
I’d be surprised if they got that much! Better yet just hire a bunch of temps and keep rotating them out every 89 days! LOL
05/07, 7:44 PM
posted by:
audi-lover
good idea
but I hope they keep up the quality being built in the U.S.
05/08, 9:43 PM
posted by:
swamprat
Those dirt poor trailer trash making Toyotas make at least $18.00 per hour and happen to manufacture one of the best selling cars in the United States. Ditto for Honda. It is funny that some of the worlds most elitist snobs, like Barak Obama, couldn’t make a ham sandwich, much less a car.
The reason U.S. cars haven’t had high quality ratings is that traitor minded CEO’s and product managers think that they are engineers and line workers. They nickel and dime the product to death.