Audi Q3 production begins
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18th July, 2011
Last week, the heir to the Spanish throne, Prince
Felipe, inaugurated the state-of-the-art production site for the Audi Q3 in Martorell. SEAT and Audi
invested a total of €330 million in infrastructure and production facilities there. A new 30,000 m2
(322,917 sq. ft.) body shop with 450 robots was just one of the many new facilities built.
Approximately 100,000 Audi Q3 units are scheduled to leave the three-shift assembly line in Martorell
each year.
“The decision to produce the Audi Q3 in Spain signals our intention to continue our dynamic
course of growth while also pursing a strategy of internationalisation,” says Frank Dreves, AUDI
AG Board Member for Production. The start of Q3 production at the Martorell plant is a decisive
milestone in the Audi brand’s history of success. As a production site, he added, Martorell has
highly motivated employees and delivers top quality. “We are placing our utmost trust in the team
building the Q3 here,” continues Dreves.
The new manufacturing facilities in Martorell are among the most modern in the world. For example,
the “roof bell,” an innovative development from the Audi Toolmaking Division in Ingolstadt, is being
used for the first time ever in body construction. A robot grabs the roof and precisely aligns it
while a second robot holds the roof bell ready for the following roof on the next body.
The Audi Q3 will help SEAT permanently fill the capacity of the Martorell plant.
“The decision in favour of Martorell is therefore a firm commitment to this production
location,” emphasises James Muir, Chairman of the Board of Management of SEAT, S.A.
By choosing to produce the Q3 in Martorell, Audi is also assuming social responsibility for the
site and the employees. The Company is securing some 1,500 jobs there, approximately 700 of which
were made available specifically for Q3 production. Training of the team took top priority right from
the start. All staff completed a 180-hour programme on the Q3 to prepare them for the challenges they
will be faced with on the production line.
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As a compact SUV, the Audi Q3 will be rounding off the existing Q line-up consisting of the Audi
Q5 and Audi Q7. With its sleek styling, the five-door Q3 boasts authentic SUV traits in terms of
seating position, clarity and variability and will offer a sporty driving experience. The Q3 combines
the design and dynamics of a compact car with the spaciousness and versatility of an SUV. Its range
of driver assistance systems is redefining the compact SUV category.
The Audi Q3 is being launched with three four-cylinder engines – one TDI unit and two TFSI engines
– with an additional TDI unit scheduled to follow later. Developing between 103 kW (140 hp) and 155
kW (211 hp), these engines are just as powerful as they are efficient.
European market launch is planned for the fourth quarter of this year, whilst an Australian
release is anticipated in the second quarter 2012. Around 100,000 units are expected to make their
way to customers in 2012, the first full year of production. Plans are in place to make the compact
SUV in China, specifically for the local market, in a second phase.
The SEAT factory in Martorell was built in 1993 and employs a total workforce of over 10,000. The
Q3 is Audi's first model manufactured in Spain.
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