Audi and its import partner have kicked off assembly of the A3 Sportback, A3 Sedan and Q2 crossover at the Relizane facility in the North African country of Algeria.
The Ingolstadt-based brand says it plans an annual capacity of “approximately 3 000 units” from the SOVAC plant that has been producing Volkswagen Group vehicles since 2017.
“This entry into the [Volkswagen] Group’s multi-brand factory is a logical step into the Algerian growth market,” said Peter Will, head of planning and steering of CKD/MKD/SKD Projects at Audi.
“By specifically training local employees, we are ensuring Audi quality and utilising synergies with the other Group brands in production and logistics, laying the foundation for continued growth in North Africa.”
In 2017, SOVAC built a production facility on a 150-hectare site in the Relizane region, some 220 km west of Algiers. Since then, daily production has “gradually increased” to approximately 200 cars, including the Volkswagen Golf, Polo, Tiguan, Passat and Caddy, as well as the Škoda Octavia, Rapid and Fabia and the Seat Ibiza, Arona, Leon and Ateca.
Mourad Oulmi, CEO of SOVAC, added he was “very proud that we will produce premium automobiles for the first time with Audi in Algeria, thus meeting the demand from our customers”.
“I am particularly grateful to Audi, which has been working for months to relaunch the brand in the Algerian market together with SOVAC. After more than ten years of partnership, we are entering a new era of cooperation,” Oulmi added.
