Audi has celebrated the opening of its very first North American plant, located in San José Chiapa, Mexico.

The factory sits on an area of 400 hectares and despite incorporating a press shop, body shop, paint shop and assembly line, was constructed in just 3 and a half years. It will handle production of the updated Audi Q5, producing up to 150,000 units annually.

Additionally, a supplier park has been constructed right next to the factory and will house seven key suppliers and logistics providers who each will play a pivotal role in bringing the new Q5 to the streets. By the year’s end, Audi will have added 4,200 jobs to its Mexican operations, most of which will come from the new plant.

According to chairman of the board of management of Audi Rupert Stadler “For us, this plant is more than a financial investment of over one billion euros. Above all, it is a commitment to the site and to the people who, together with us, have managed this great achievement.”

The company’s board of management member for production Hubert Waltl added by saying that the factory is the first Audi has produced solely based around computer simulations. Consequently, it was constructed 30 per cent faster than a typical plant of its size.

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