AudiStream: Online production tour from Audi Brussels

Visitors and customers have been able to explore the Audi location through factory visits since 2011. There is still a lot of interest in experiencing e-tron production, says Peter D’hoore, Spokesperson for Audi Brussels. “We still get a lot of inquiries. AudiStream makes it possible to meet that desire, even if on-site tours are currently impossible due to the coronavirus.”

The stream had hardly started when a virtual guide received an online visitor: “Hello, dear viewer! Welcome, herzlich willkommen, hartelijk welkom, and bienvenue to AudiStream! My name is Birgit Peters and I'd like to invite you to Brussels today. The company with the four rings has an exciting location there. On behalf of all the employees, I will be showing you the factory where Audi’s first fully electric series model has been produced since 2018.” Video recordings then guide visitors across the Belgian factory grounds. The factory has had an eventful history since it was founded in 1949. This location reached a new milestone in November 2021 when it produced its eight millionth car, an Audi e-tron. In January 2022, Audi Brussels won the 2021 Industrial Excellence Award Belgium.

The central theme of the tour is the factory’s transformation from producing combustion engines to specializing in electric drive systems: “When the last A1 left our halls in 2018, we could only guess what kinds of challenges were headed our way. We, the Audi factory in the unofficial capital of Europe, were suddenly pioneers in electric mobility.” Audi rebuilt the entire factory for that and prepared its employees with hundreds of thousands of hours of advanced training on production of the new kind of drive system. Viewers can now marvel at the location’s modernization in fast forward.

The tour then takes viewers into the world of e-tron production – from the body to the paint shop to final assembly. For instance, in body construction, they experience how people and robots work harmoniously together and provide perfect welding, soldering, and bonding. In final assembly, streaming guests can see how over 1,000 parts are assembled on a belt that is more than a kilometer long. That is followed by a look at the mechanics, where the powertrain and the battery come together. Lastly, there is the final quality test, when all the functions and gap dimensions are checked again.

For its look at production, Audi Brussels has saved its high-voltage battery manufacturing facility – the location’s showpiece and unique feature – for the finale. Each battery’s seals, electric functions, and, of course, power are checked.

Production of the entire series in this factory is carbon neutral. Audi Brussels has already been repeatedly honored for that. The location is particularly proud of its solar power system, which covers more than 107,000 square meters (1,151,738 sq. ft.). That makes it one of the largest solar power systems in greater Brussels: each year, it saves Audi Brussels around 1,900 tons of CO2 and generates over 9,000 megawatt hours of electricity – enough to supply about 2,500 households with electricity for a year.

Consequently, the factory in Brussels is not only a pioneer and a model for electromobility, but also a pioneer in sustainability. Starting now, anyone who is interested can see for themselves and take a virtual tour via AudiStream or www.audibrussels.be