Audi’s brand-new plant in Curitiba in the Brazilian federal state of Parana has begun production of the A3 Sedan.
Audi’s first factory in South America and the thirteenth worldwide will also start building the Q3 SUV next year.
“We see great potential in the Brazilian market. Our goal there is to maintain our leading position in the premium segment over the long term. As well as the Audi A3 Sedan, we will soon also produce the Audi Q3 in Curitiba and will procure as many components as possible locally,” said Dr. Bernd Martens, Board of Management Member for Procurement at Audi AG.
The Audi A3 Sedan 1.4 TFSI Flex produced in Curitiba is the first Audi model fitted with a flex-fuel engine. This type of engine which can operate on gasoline, ethanol or both fuels at the same time is very common in Brazil. The South American country is the world’s biggest market for flex-fuel engines, with more than 90 percent of cars newly registered being fitted with this technology.
The first Audi A3 Sedan models with the 1.4 TFSI flex-fuel engine will arrive in Brazilian dealerships in November 2015.
“With local production of the Audi A3 Sedan and – a few months later – the Audi Q3, we will be ideally positioned to fulfill the wishes of our Brazilian customers” stated Jörg Hofmann, CEO of Audi do Brasil. “Since the market launch of the A3 Sedan in 2014, we have doubled our sales volume in Brazil and are the market leader in this segment. This is a strong confirmation that we have chosen the right model for Curitiba,” the official added.
Next year Audi will open another plant in the Americas, in San José Chiapa, Mexico.
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