Audi Announces €11 Billion Investment at Shareholders Meeting

AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
8213 photos
27 videos
held its annual shareholders' meeting on May 16 and announced that it will invest €11 billion into production, technology and new products by 2015. It also announced that it has sold 503,000 cars in the first four months of the year, a 6.7% increase over last year. It is the first time that the half million mark has been broken in a single quarter.

The of €11 billion investment €5.3 billion will go to upgrade the factories in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. 

Based on projections and the first quarter results, Audi will beat its sales volume from last year and increase revenue slightly. Is believes that the A3Audi A3 Gen.3 [Typ 8V]Germany, 2012 > present275 versions
591 photos
, Q3Audi Q3Germany, 2011 > present66 versions
147 photos
and new A3 sedanAudi S3 Sedan 2.0 TFSIGermany, 2013 > present9 photos
will be a major sales force once the sedan starts production in June. 

“We should achieve an operating return on sales at the top end of our target corridor of eight to ten percent,” said Audi Head of Finance Axel Strotbek.

The next step is to upgrade the Audi factory in Foshan, China, to do full production and assembly, which is expected in late 2013. The new factory in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico will be complete in 2016. 

As part of the shareholders' meeting, Audi also released its first Corporate Responsibility Report, which covers 2012. It announced that it has met its CO2-reduction target ahead of schedule. It has set a goal a long-term goal of being CO2 neutral.  

It already met its 2020 goal in 2012 of reducing CO2 emissions 30% compared to 1990 models. Now it wants to reduce emissions by a further 40% compared to 2010 levels. It is also trying to eliminate wastewater from producing cars.

The main Ingolstadt factory is already 70% CO2 neutral and has 100% electricity coming from sustainable sources. It also requires that its suppliers maintain certain levels of sustainability. 

Audi says that each new model will have lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions. 

Audi is also getting into the energy supply business. It has completed its e-gas plant in Werlte, Germany, that produces methane from electrolysis. It will be fed into the natural gas network and supplied by natural gas fuel stations. It will also be adding more natural gas models to its lineup.