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A potential buyer has pulled out of talks to buy the factory where the Q8 e-tron electric SUV is made, making the future of both look increasingly bleak.
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VW has confirmed talks have fallen through with a potential buyer for the factory where the Audi Q8 e-tron is made – now facing closure – putting another nail in the coffin of Audi’s flagship electric SUV.
Talks with as many as 26 potential buyers raised hope the 596,570 square-metre Brussels facility – which has produced more than 8 million vehicles since 1949 – could remain open, ensuring a future for its 3033 workers.
One of those, according to Automotive News citing Belgian newspaper De Tidj, was Chinese electric car maker Nio.
Yet a statement from Volkswagen said those discussions had fallen through, all but confirming the plant will be closed – and the end of Q8 e-tron production – in February 2025.
“There is no potential investor for the site, so the active search for an investor is over,” said the spokesperson according to Automotive News.
The spokesperson also explained the focus had moved from finding a buyer to discussions on staff layoffs at the plant in the lead up to next year’s closure.
The end of the factory means the Q8 e-tron is now all but certain to be cut from the car maker’s global line-up – including its departure from Australian showrooms.
In July 2024, Audi released a statement saying the Q8 e-tron “is affected by a segment-specific intensified drop in demand” and was “considering the early end of production of the Q8 e-tron model series.”
The car maker also explained if a buyer was not found for the Brussels plant it “may also include a cessation of operations if no alternative is found.”
Sold as the Audi ‘e-tron’ when it first launched in Australia in 2020, the large electric SUV was renamed the Q8 e-tron in 2022 as a rival to the BMW iX, Mercedes-Benz EQE and Tesla Model X electric SUVs.
Audi Australia sold 154 Q8 e-trons in the first nine months of 2024, making up 28 per cent – less than one-third – of total Audi Q8 sales (535), which include petrol and plug-in hybrid versions.
The news followed Volkswagen’s announcement it would make the unprecedented move of closing three of its Europe factories, including in its homeland Germany, cutting around 10,000 jobs amid falling sales.
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