A lot of the news coming out of Europe about the automotive industry over the past 12 months has been about plant closures, layoffs, and other generally negative developments. But not for Audi. The brand has seen such strong demand for its A6 and A7 models, that it has already added 12 shifts at its Neckarsulm, Germany plant, which builds the models, and is planning on adding even more shifts in April to keep up with worldwide demand, Bloomberg reports. Audi has already produced 2600 more cars at Neckarsulm in the first quarter than it had anticipated. Neckarsulm is Audi’s second-largest plant after its main facility in Ingolstadt, north of Munich. But Audi’s growth is not limited just to Germany. Construction is starting on a plant in Mexico to build the Q5 crossover, and a plant in Foshan, China will open later in 2013 to serve the local market. Audi is also expanding its plant in Györ, Hungary, which builds most of Audi’s gasoline and diesel engines from I-4 and I-5 to V-6 and V-10 engines. Györ has also been building the TT coupe and roadster since that model’s launch. Audi is behind only rival BMW in worldwide luxury car production, and aims to surpass BMW in total production by the end of the decade.
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