Audi is taking a close look at setting up an assembly plant in the United States.
Luxury automaker Audi appears to be considering building an assembly plant in the United States, according to comments its chief executive made in advance of a shareholder meeting in Germany.
The company is examining the possibilities for a plant, as the strong euro and rising material costs have made a U.S. plant more cost-effective.
“There are no signs right now of this situation letting up,” CEO Rupert Stadler said, according to a report by the Reuters news service.
Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen AG, also has been looking to build a U.S. plant for similar reasons and has narrowed its possible locations to Michigan, Alabama or Tennessee. A decision is expected to be announced in June.
VW has said it wants to triple its U.S. sales to 1 million units by 2018 and has suggested it wants to build the next-generation Passat in the United States.
