New Audi A8 production begins at Neckarsulm plant

Audi officially opened the new production halls for the Audi A8 sedan at the Neckarsulm site in Germany on April 22 – a milestone in the site’s strategy for the future.

“Our sites in Germany are our backbone. That’s why the investments in the production of the Audi A8 flagship are an important milestone for the Neckarsulm site, and also for our entire company,” stated Prof. Dr. Hubert Waltl, Member of the Board of Management for Production at Audi AG. The carmaker has been producing the A8 in Neckarsulm since the market launch of the first generation in 1994.

Seventeen months have passed since the ground was first broken for the new partial assembly and body shop of the new Audi A8. During the planning process, the body shop was a particular challenge. A roof was built over the railway loading station in the northern part of the site during full working operations. For a time, up to 17 construction cranes were in operation simultaneously, including two of Europe’s biggest tracked cranes, each capable of lifting up to 600 tons. Helmut Stettner, Plant Director at the Audi site in Neckarsulm, stated: “With these structural measures, we are advancing the strategic development of our plant and preparing it for future challenges and technologies.”

For the newly created production area, Audi moved the plant boundary and integrated the site of the former building yard. As a result of technological and ergonomic innovations, the production facility is highly efficient and can be used flexibly. For example, the electric hanger straps are height adjustable and rotatable. This allows the employees to work without straining their backs.

With the new production buildings, the site is strengthening its expertise in the large-sedan segment. Norbert Rank, Chairman of the Labor Council at Audi Neckarsulm, commented: “The production of our large sedan model safeguards a lot of jobs at the site. We are of course very pleased about that. Because in addition to ergonomic working conditions, secure employment is important to us as representatives of the workforce.”

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