Hyperdrive
Audi’s Slow-Selling Tesla Fighter Spells Doom for VW Factory
Volkswagen looks poised to close a European carmaking plant for the first time.
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It took nothing more than for Audi to release teaser images of its first electric sport utility vehicle for some to declare it a “Tesla killer.” Six years after the model’s debut, the SUV’s assembly plant may instead be the one to bite the dust.
Volkswagen AG put the Belgian factory on notice this week, saying slow sales of the Audi Q8 e-tron could lead to the site’s closure. Unless a surprise rescue plan emerges from a consultation process with workers, VW will shutter a car plant in Europe for the first time ever.