| VIEW FROM THE TOP
HIGH QUALITY AND A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE ANDREAS LEHE President of Audi México 54
Q: What are your plans for Audi’s manufacturing operations
electric car might not be the solution for the future. I think
in Mexico and how do they relate to Alfons Dintner’s previous
you have to adapt different issues to different regions. Maybe
administration?
in large cities like Mexico City, where there are 20 million cars
A: We just celebrated our sixth anniversary in Mexico in 2019.
circulating every day, urban mobility based on shared cars
Alfons Dintner was responsible for the construction and ramp
might be the right solution.
up of this plant. 2018 was the first full-production year. My plan is to stabilize production and to have a look at the things that
Audi presented four different concepts of future mobility
did not work and the processes we have to review to make
based on sports cars, long-distance cars, small cars for
this one of the best Audi facilities in the world. We want to
urban mobility and off-road vehicles. These concepts will
show that after just five years, Mexico is delivering optimum
adapt to the user of the future. Combustion engines will still
production costs and quality and that we are prepared to
be needed for long distances, while in urban settings hybrid
produce more models in the future.
and full-electric vehicles might be the norm. The company is prepared to participate in all these markets. This year we
At this moment we only produce the Q5, which is one of the
ramped up production of the Q5 hybrid, which is the first
most important cars for the Audi brand. Our daily production
step to transitioning traditional cars into hybrid. Audi also
is already the highest for a single car in the whole Audi
offers the e-tron, a 100 percent electric vehicle. Our offering
group. We are very proud because we deliver this car to the
will depend on customer demand. The company might even
entire world: to Europe, to the US and to Asia. Moreover, for
decide to produce full-electric cars in Mexico and we are
the last two to three years, Mexico has reached the same
prepared for that. As a company, we should be prepared for
quality standards as Germany. This is even more impressive
what the market will need in the future.
considering this is the first plant outside of Germany that handles an entire assembly line. Hungary, for example, had
Q: How is Audi’s strategy changing to adapt to the future
an assembly plant for 25 years, which depended on Germany
of mobility?
for bodyshop and paintshop operations. We started in Mexico
A: Our strategy is to be a mobility company. This could also
from scratch and we found many people were involved with
imply the possibility of having Audi on-demand, where clients
the automotive industry, which made it easier for us to ramp
can choose to use an Audi vehicle for special occasions., which
up our operations.
would require a change in people’s mindset, however. At the moment, most people use their car as a status symbol. But
Mexicans are also highly motivated to accelerate or to move
younger generations are moving toward a new dynamic and
things forward while trying new approaches to their work
a new mobility scheme.
and processes. They are young, motivated and they want to show the world that Mexico can produce world-class quality.
Sustainability is one of our main targets. As a German company in Mexico, we have the possibility to generate a
Q: What are your expectations regarding the development
true impact and make this a relevant topic in the industry.
of the global automotive industry in terms of demand and
Water is one of our priorities, because it can be scarce during
how it will impact Audi’s production forecasts?
certain seasons. We are the first entity to be waste-water-free
A: There are worldwide discussions about climate change, CO2
in Puebla. Last year, we earned this recognition thanks to our
emissions and sustainability. This is a strategic pillar for us,
lagoon, where we use rain water for our processes instead of
as we understand that future mobility means not everybody
fresh water. We are also advancing toward clean energy. At the
will buy their own car and some may use a shared or an
end of August 2019, we started working with 50 percent green
electric vehicle. Nobody knows at this moment where we are
energy coming from Chihuahua, which turned to 100 percent
going and what is the right decision to make. A 100 percent
on Jan. 1, 2020. These initiatives have reduced our carbon
