Audi has decided to make its new Q3 small SUV in Barcelona, Spain, and has postponed any decision on making cars in the US where parent Volkswagen is building a new plant in Tennessee.
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The luxury carmaker said it would postpone any decision to build vehicles in the US because “Audi is in a good position. There is currently no urgent need to select additional sites,” Reuters reported.
Audi said it would invest about EUR300m (US$387m) in the Seat plant in Martorell near Barcelona, where it would begin building the Q3 in 2011.
The decision came after heavy lobbying from the Spanish government which has seen 1.3m jobs lost in the past 12 months due to the economic crisis, including many in the car and parts making sectors.
Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Audi’s move would safeguard 7,500 jobs.
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By GlobalDataAudi said it would build capacity for up to 80,000 Q3s a year.
“We will use the group’s synergies to sharpen our competitive edge and help protect around 1,200 jobs,” chief executive Rupert Stadler said in a statement.
A union source told Reuters last month that Seat workers at the Martorell plant accepted a two-year pay freeze to secure production of the Q3.
“We are counting on this Spanish site’s efficiency, the excellent quality of the production department, and its highly trained staff,” Stadler added.
