AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt. ended the year 2016 with solid results: The company’s engine production operations built 1,926,638 engines (2015: 2,022,520). The automotive production side built a total of 122,975 automobiles (2015: 159,842), including the new models Audi TT RS Coupé and Roadster. The premium manufacturer achieved revenue of €7,136 million (2015: € 7,906 million). At the end of the year the company had 11,631 employees (2015: 11,411).
With revenue amounting to €7,136 million, Audi Hungaria is one of the largest and highest-revenue enterprises in the country as well as one of its major exporters. The company has been restructured to make it even more efficient going forward: The former AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. now operates under the name of AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt.
“Despite a challenging environment, we managed to achieve solid production and financial figures in 2016. That performance underscores the company’s strength and creates strong foundations for the future,” declared Peter Kössler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI HUNGARIA Zrt. “We will be placing an even stronger focus on digitalization, electrification and sustainability from now on. We will maintain the push towards our objectives with our high-performing team in 2017.”
To flank its new corporate strategy announced in the summer, last year the Audi Group kicked off the SPEED UP! measures program. This is aimed at also enhancing cost and process efficiency at Audi Hungaria, equipping the company for the future while also improving profitability.
Audi Hungaria continued to invest in the Győr site in 2016, giving particular emphasis to the production starts of various new engine versions and to preparations for the new model, the Audi Q3. Since the company was established the total investment volume has amounted to over € 8,300 million, making Audi Hungaria the automotive industry’s biggest investor in Hungary.
With 1,926,638 engines built, Audi Hungaria is the world’s largest engine manufacturer and supplies some 30 Volkswagen Group sites. The broad performance range of the Győr-built engines extends from 63 kW (86 hp) to 449 kW (610 hp). Last year, the engine production workforce successfully handled 14 launches and celebrated an important landmark: Audi Hungaria built its 30 millionth engine. The anniversary power unit was a sporty five-cylinder engine with 400 hp of output.
The automotive production operations built 122,975 automobiles of the brand with the four rings. The Audi Hungaria workforce is currently responsible for full production of the models Audi A3 Sedan, A3 Cabriolet, TT Coupé and Roadster. Two success stories from Győr – the Audi A3 Sedan and the A3 Cabriolet – were renewed in 2016. Volume production of the new, sporty Audi TT RS Coupé and Roadster commenced. The company also reached a major milestone in automotive production: Its workers completed the one millionth automobile in Győr, an Audi TT RS Coupé.
Technical Development broadened its skill set further: Development of the first Audi engine able to run on both compressed natural gas (CNG) and gasoline was spearheaded by Audi Hungaria. The company installed a special test rig in Győr to enable testing of the CNG engines. The Hungarian site is consequently the first in the Audi Group to have this technology at its disposal. In the total vehicle development area Audi Hungaria expanded the test facility for strength analysis so that it can investigate various engine and vehicle components. The new total vehicle test rig also enables the experts to analyze and optimize vehicle acoustics, strength and driving characteristics.
Each year the Audi Hungaria toolmaking shop produces 300,000 body components and assemblies for 25 exclusive and sports models of the Audi and Volkswagen Group, including the Audi RS 6 and Audi R8. The company is now enlarging the toolmaking shop to create more capacity for future projects: Construction work on the 15,000 square meter (161,458.7 square feet) extension began in 2016.
The company has implemented a raft of smart solutions in production, including human-robot collaboration. In this particular case, two robotic colleagues, Ádám and Éva, work hand in hand with their human colleagues in automotive production. With the help of motion capturing, the only movement tracking system of its kind in the world, workplaces and working processes are designed and optimized based on ergonomic criteria.
Audi Hungaria considers training future generations a top priority. The company’s dual vocational training system has already taught more than 1,800 young people their vocation. Two new training courses – automotive maintenance technician and alternative drives technician – were added to the training portfolio in 2016. The company supports education from the very start, for example through the expansion of the Audi Hungaria School.
University partnerships are another important pillar of the company’s human resources strategy. In cooperation with Széchenyi István University, Audi Hungaria launched a dual degree program with students initially offered two subject areas in automotive engineering; electrical engineering was added in September 2016.
The premium manufacturer promotes the region’s social, cultural and sporting life. The company is partner to the handball team Győri Audi ETO KC, the dance troupe Győri Balett and the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra. Audi Hungaria also supports and initiates an array of social projects in the region.
“2017 has got off to an exciting start here: Our brand-new model, the sporty Audi RS 3 Sedan, went into production just a few days ago. Preparations for the production start of the electric motors and the new Győr-built car model, the Audi Q3, are progressing in parallel. So I am very confident about the future,” added Kössler.
An electric competence center has already been established at Audi Hungaria as the volume production facility for the electric motors. Its specialists possess the expertise required for volume production. The company is also erecting an 80,000 square meter (861,112.8 square feet) hall for body manufacturing of the Audi Q3, which will be built in Győr in the future.
