Gernot Dollner, global CEO of Audi, stressed the importance of the first Audi Q6 e-tron model based on the PPE luxury pure electric platform, “The production of the PPE platform and the Audi Q6 e-tron model family lays the foundation for the future development of Audi’s pure electric model lineup. This is a decisive step towards our goal. By 2027, Audi plans to introduce electric models in all of its core market segments.”

Gerd Walker, Director of Production and Logistics at the Board of Management of Audi Automobiles AG, said that the launch of the Audi Q6 e-tron is a milestone achievement in advancing the future production strategy of “Factory 360” , “By 2030, Audi’s own production sites around the world will be devoted to the production of electric vehicles. We are taking advantage of the opportunity of electrification to drive a complete transformation of Audi factories. With the successful launch of the Audi Q6 e-tron model range, the Audi plant Ingolstadt is making great strides towards becoming a ‘Factory 360’.” Audi has a clear vision for the future of production.

Under the guidance of the future production strategy “Factory 360”, which supports sustainable development in all aspects, Audi is promoting the modernization and digital transformation of its own production sites. Since 2024, the Audi plant in Ingolstadt has successfully completed the transition to carbon neutral production of the Audi Q6 e-tron model family and all other models.

The new battery assembly shop for PPE models is an example of how Audi is modernizing and extending existing systems. In a workshop of about 30,000 square meters, about 300 employees work in three shifts a day to complete the assembly task of about 1,000 high-voltage batteries, and the assembly process is nearly 90% automated. The new battery assembly workshop, located in the battery assembly hall of the Audi Ingolstadt Plant Logistics and Cargo Transport Center (GVZ), is powered entirely by green electricity, eliminating the need for additional space and significantly increasing production flexibility and efficiency.

The Audi Ingolstadt plant is currently sourcing specialized motors for the PPE platform from Audi’s largest power-train plant in the world, located in Jell, Hungary. Audi Hungary is manufacturing the motors in three newly installed production lines.

To achieve sustainable and efficient production of the Audi Q6 e-tron model range, Audi integrated production lines such as the body shop for the PPE model into the existing architecture. The body of the PPE model is produced in a factory in Ingolstadt with an area of approximately 148,000 square meters. The body parts of the Audi Q6 e-tron model family are manufactured by 328 employees and 1,150 robots per shift, with an automation rate of 87%.

Audi is relying on existing systems and equipment to complete the assembly task. After eight transformations, the assembly process for the Audi Q6 e-tron model family has been seamlessly integrated into the assembly line for the Audi A4 and Audi A5 models. In this way, fuel vehicles and electric vehicles of different model families can be assembled on one assembly line.

In order to produce a new range of pure electric models, Audi has further expanded the paint shop. Among them, Audi has expanded and upgraded the drying equipment after the cathode dip coating (CDC) process step and introduced a new automatic hole sealing integration step. After the cathode dip coating process, the robot will use adhesive pads to seal approximately 70 holes in the body and measure each hole individually.

Previously, this part of the job had to be done manually. At the same time, the upgraded drying equipment will have a higher energy output and reach the target temperature of 160 degree celsius required for curing each body component after cathode dipping. The paint shop also uses automated production technology to detect, evaluate and treat irregularities on the vehicle surface, thereby objectively monitoring the surface of the coating and making quality control more transparent while improving process quality. Specifically, the robot first uses an automated measurement system to scan the vehicle surface, laying the foundation for subsequent automated painting. A painting robot will then handle the vehicle using grinding and polishing tools, while employees monitor the work area on a large screen.

In the press shop at Audi’s Munchsmunster production site, a team of experts is working on upgrading the thermo-forming process for the PPE platform. The thermo-forming process is mainly used for the production of safety-related parts, with the aim of providing additional stability and crash safety for sheet metal parts such as A-pillars, B-pillars and longitudinal body construction components for PPE models. The factory heats the metal sheet in a dedicated furnace to about 950 degree celsius, then uses a stamping machine and appropriate molds to create the required parts, and then uses vents to locally cool the heated metal to adjust the strength of the parts as needed, further optimizing collision resistance and reducing body weight.

In addition, the future manufacturing facility will also be used to make parts for fuel vehicles based on PPC’s luxury fuel vehicle platform. Thanks to the high flexibility of the equipment, the Audi Munchsmunster production site can produce 44 types of components. At the same time, Audi has adjusted the configuration of the laser cutting machine and the stamping machine to achieve full automation of the process and optimal working time, and the daily production capacity of the factory parts is approximately 20,000.