Audi said it will add a third shift at its assembly plant in Hungary from mid-August to meet increasing demand for its premium models and to prepare for the start of production of the all-new TT sports car.
Audi’s Gyor facility has an annual capacity of 160,000 vehicles and builds the TT Coupe and Roadster sports cars as well as the A3 Limousine and Cabriolet. “We are preparing for serial production of the new Audi TT Coupe with full steam. Introduction of the third shift is inevitable,” vehicle production chief Gerd Walker told Reuters.
In 2013, Audi produced 42,851 cars and 1.93 million engines in Hungary, most of which went to export. One of Hungary’s top revenue earners and exporters, Audi Hungary invested more than €900 million ($1.23 billion) into the expansion of its Hungarian plant in order to cover the entire spectrum of production as part of a project that was completed last year.
However, the investment sparked controversy recently when the European Commission said it had started an in-depth probe into state aid granted to Audi in Hungary to see whether it breached European Union rules. According to the European Commission, Hungary planned to grant €133.3 million of state aid to Audi for its investment project.
At launch, the new TT will be offered with three engines: a 2.0-liter diesel producing 184PS (181hp) and a 2.0-liter TFSI unit with 230PS (227hp) for the base TT model, plus a 2.0-liter TFSI with 310PS (306hp) for the sportier TTS model.
By Dan Mihalascu
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