Audi AD has officially put the high-tech Audi Neuburg complex into operation after a construction period of just two years. In the presence of the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, the Mayor of the city of Neuburg an der Donau, Dr. Bernhard Gmehling, and 250 other guests of honor, the 47-hectare site was opened by Prof. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board of Management Member for Technical Development of AUDI AG, and Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG. Under one roof, the complex accommodates the Competence Center Motorsport with Audi Sport customer racing, the Audi driving experience center and functions of the Technical Development division. Audi is investing a high double-digit million amount in the new site, which is approximately 20 kilometers west of the company’s main site in Ingolstadt and will provide employment for a total of 460 people.
Horst Seehofer, Prime Minister of Bavaria, welcomed the investment: “Engineering skills, innovation and automotive technology at the highest level – those are Audi’s trademarks. With Audi Neuburg, the global company is demonstrating its commitment to its sites in this region. That creates jobs, boosts growth and is an investment in the future expertise of the whole of Bavaria.”
More than half of Audi’s investment by the year 2018 will flow into its sites in Germany, with more than a billion euros each year to be invested in Ingolstadt. “We appreciate Bavaria’s exceptionally investor-friendly climate and its high-tech attributes. That goes together well with Vorsprung durch Technik,” stated Audi CEO Rupert Stadler. “With Neuburg, the Audi family continues to grow. Together with our partners, we have created 460 jobs here. Our domestic sites are our backbone. More than half of our worldwide 76,678 employees work in Upper Bavaria alone,” explained the Board of Management Chairman.
Audi Board of Management Member for Technical Development Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg sees Audi Neuburg as a strategically important site in the global development network of AUDI AG: “This is where we develop and build our high-performance racing cars. The close and successful cooperation between Audi’s racing engine development in Neckarsulm and Audi Sport in Neuburg is an excellent example of how Vorsprung durch Technik is achieved.”
Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG: “It is particularly pleasing that attractive jobs will be created at the Competence Center and in the district of Neuburg-Schrobenhausen. The high-tech project is also a clear commitment to the region and thus further strengthens our main plant as the ideas powerhouse of the Audi Group.”
“The opening of this Audi site is a special moment for the city of Neuburg an der Donau,” emphasized MayorDr.Bernhard Gmehling. “We were able to actively accompany the project from the first considerations to the overall planning and construction phase, and full support was always given by both the city council and the city helloistration. Now that the site is going into operation, our city is officially a home for Audi; we in Neuburg are proud of that. This is a real stroke of luck for us and without a doubt our best economic news in this decade,” continued the mayor.
Audi Sport will concentrate its activities at the new Competence Center Motorsport: The modern building complex is 300 meters long and 100 meters wide; it includes workshops, a test-bench building and a warehouse-logistics hall, as well as the prestigious main building with the engineering offices. The multifunctional complex follows the principle of short distances, with the engineering offices on the same floor as the workshops. This is where Audi Sport develops high-performance technologies for racing cars – also for potential subsequent application in series-production cars. Audi Neuburg is the interface to Audi Sport engine development at the Neckarsulm plant. That is where Audi engineers and mechanics design and build the racing engines. Audi then tests those engines in Neuburg on state-of-the-art test rigs. The racing cars’ first test drives take place on the 3.4-kilometer circuit in Neuburg. As of the end of October, Audi Sport will organize and coordinate from Neuburg the production activities for Audi’s worldwide racing in DTM and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans: a total of 20 races in 12 countries each year.
As of May 2014, the Audi driving experience center offers customer events on the 30,000 square meter driving dynamics area, the handling circuit and the off-road grounds. The central customer building accommodates presentation surfaces with the latest conference facilities. The center’s own restaurant with a viewing terrace is available to visitors as well as conference and training participants.
The Technical Development division carries out test drives at the Audi Neuburg site with technology demonstration cars, for example to test driver-assistance systems and camera systems of the latest generation.
Audi Sport customer racing will also move to the site in Neuburg by the spring of 2015. The team develops and markets the Audi R8 LMS ultra and supports the extensive customer-sport involvement in GT sport from here.
