Audi Brussels
Audi Brussels was a car factory in Forest, a municipality near Brussels in Belgium. It operated from 1948 until it closed in February 2025. The site began as a Volkswagen assembly plant run by Pierre D’Ieteren, a Belgian car importer. At first it built Studebakers; a few months later it started assembling Volkswagens, and later also Porsches.
In 1960 the plant built its 100,000th VW Beetle. When Studebaker faced financial trouble, Studebaker production ended and the plant focused on VW and Porsche. By 1970 VW owned the plant completely, though D’Ieteren remained the main Belgian importer and distributor for VW brands.
Over the years the plant produced many models, including Beetles, Passats, Golfs, and at times the Audi A3 and VW Polo. The Lupo moved to Brussels in 2001, and in 2005 the VW Fox began replacing the Lupo in European markets.
In 2006 the plant, then known as Volkswagen Vorst, was told Golf production would move away and plans emerged to build a small Audi at the site. The plant’s name was changed to Audi Brussels, and the focus shifted to the Audi A1. The plan relied on improved efficiency and public support.
From 2010 the plant produced the Audi A1, with production rising to around 120,000 in 2011. In 2016 the plant was re-equipped to build the electric Audi e-tron from 2018.
In 2024 Audi announced layoffs at the plant. In October 2024 up to 1,410 of 3,000 workers were to be cut, with about 600 more to be cut early in 2025. On 29 October 2024, Audi announced the plant would close on 28 February 2025 after a buyer could not be found.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:48 (CET).