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The Car Coach: Audi Ingolstadt plant
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The Audi Ingolstadt plant is situated at the heart of Bavaria. The Ingolstadt plant is not only the company’s biggest production facility, it is also home to the head office and Technical Development Division of AUDI AG.
Witnessing the entire production process of an Audi up close and personal is a memorable experience.
In the press shop, the pressure produced by the metal-forming tools and massive machines work together to stamp metal sheets into parts of cars.
In the body shop you can watch the fascinating ballet performed by welding robots, which is partly run by people with a lot of well-thought-out mechanical assistance.
The bulk of the final assembly of the car is still done by hand.
Fit and finish is a critical part of the assembly, as is final inspection. Inspection is done with special gauges to measure proper panel clearance and ensure that each car has the same quality results.The entire process of manufacturing the cars is incredibly precise and yet completely flexible.
Audi makes different types of cars on a single assembly line. A computer system ensures that the right parts and tools are available when and where they’re needed. Efficiency and ergonomics are the priority, and every little detail has been well-thought-out.
Where heavy lifting is required, robots do the work or assist in the work. Where a human eye or touch is needed, people are still building the cars like they have in the past, and no one has to bend or stretch or lift very far. The cars are lifted up and transported overhead to allow the floor to be open for people and machines to move the parts.
The facility is massive (larger than the country of Monaco) and they employ over 30,000 people in the most state-of-the-art facility you can imagine.
The Ingolstadt factory tour lasts between one and one and one half hours, and builds the Audi A3, A4, A5 and Audi Q5. Tours only take place on production days, from Monday to Friday by appointment.