Audi confirms back to the Paraná produces A3 Sedan and Q3

The World President of Audi, Rupert Stadler, confirmed, in meeting with the President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday (17), which the German carmaker will resume automobile production in Parana, in the Volkswagen factory in São José dos Pinhais, Curitiba metropolitan region town. The announcement took place at the Presidential Palace, in Brasilia, where Stadler also confirmed that production will resume with the manufacture of cars and sports utility Sedan A3 Q3.
It was hoped initially that the A3 hatch also turned a national product--the model shares the same platform of the Golf 7 and has been manufactured by here between 1999 and 2006. However, the decision not to include it in the package may cause the Brazilian that the hatches would average occupy similar price bands (depending on version) and could lead to the so-called "cannibalism" within the same group.
VW formalizes investment next week
The Parana State Government confirmed for next week a hearing with representatives of Volkswagen in order to formalize the investment ­ German investments in the plant of São José dos Pinhais. Extra ­ officially, there's talk of $ 700 million to enable the fabrication of the seventh generation of the Golf, in 2015. The model, launched in Europe for just under a year, Premiere here on day 27, imported from Germany – currently the Golf Complex in Volkswagen is a fourth generation tropicalized version.
It is not known yet if the contribution would have intended to complement implantable technology and labor for the production of the car or if the resource is aimed at expansion of the structure, since the plant will also receive the Audi A3 Sedan models and Q3 (SUV), in addition to already produce models of Fox family (Pod and SpaceFox) and the Golf national.
Recently, VW obtained environmental permit from the Environmental Institute of Paraná win32codecs for an increase of factory area, with deadline for changes in the unit until July 2015. It would be a way to accommodate without grips the nearly 15 thousand units/year that Audi intends to materialize until 2018, volume this close certainly VW designs per year for the new Golf. The current sum 20 thousand vehicles per month made there for rest of the VW catalog in the State.
Another solution would be to migrate the line Fox for General Pacheco factory, in Argentina, and so make room to future residents. Not discarded, as rumours spread that the neighbouring country engineers visited Curitiba recently to do trainings and study the infra line today also made in Argentina. Nothing, however, was confirmed by Volkswagen.
Stadler said in statement, which the automaker will make, in the Paraná, investments of approximately r $ 500 million by 2016. The return of the company to the State should create 300 jobs, and it is expected that Audi grows 170% in the Brazilian automobile market over the next seven years.
He also stated that it considers the luxury market in Brazil, but who believes that Audi will grow along with the country's economic expansion.
Also present at the meeting the Minister Chief of staff, Gleisi Hoffmann; and the Minister of development, industry and foreign trade, Fernando Pimentel, who recalled the importance of the program Innovate-Auto, the federal Government, in which the negotiation was entered. The program provides benefits in payment of tax on industrialized products (IPI) for businesses that stimulate and invest in research and development in Brazil.
According to the Minister, the Government acted on the macroeconomic conditions to bring the Audi back to Brazil, but did not influence on indication of the places where the plant could be installed. "Don't indicate States and cities. We do just the environment, "said Patel.
The federal Government's strategy in pressing automakers to nationalize their products in return for tax benefits that reflect a final price less, come panning. In two years, BMW, Chery, Fiat, Honda, JAC Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota and Audi now announced new factories in Brazil. Jaguar Land Rover will be the tenth in the list. Only the Chinese Chery promises 1 billion investment in its unit of Camaçari (BA); While the German BMW will inject $ 600 million in Araquari (SC).
Audi reported that still doesn't know when it will cost in Brazil cars Q3 and A3 Sedan. Currently, the price of the A3 1.4 is $ 94,900, while the A3 1.8 model reaches R $ 123,900. Already the Q3 2.0 is charted at R $ 130,950.
Asked about the incentives provided by the Government of Paraná to the carmaker, the World President of Audi said he wouldn't talk about the subject.
German partnership was successful and errors
The production of medium A3 and Golf hatchbacks in Parana should reissue a successful partnership, and also of errors at the time, between Volkswagen and Audi in Brazil. Both manufacturers have teamed up in 1999 and built the factory in São José dos Pinhais to house the production line of the two cars. The bet was taken for granted by the German Alliance, once even imported models, had good acceptance by the Brazilian consumer. Nationalise them would offer production volume and most competitive price. Not to mention the attractive exchange rate of the period, whose parity established by the federal Government was between real and dollar.
And the two brands have gone down the same road in the early years of the plant sharing. Here were produced the fourth generation of the Golf and the first of the A3, with good performances in sales. Highlight largest to hatch from Volkswagen, which on several occasions closed the month at the top of the segment in number of plates issued.
Although we do not monitor the performance of brother store platform, the A3 was still the object of desire of many young people in search of middle-class status. Came to be the car of the year in Brazil in 2000.
But, with time, this image was eroding and of "playboy car" he became the star of the movement with the right tuning the suspension lowered, chrome wheels and accessories beyond flashy. It was the beginning of the end for the A3, which would occur in 2006, with the dollar no longer advantageous.
At the time, the then Director of sales in Brazil, Peter Englschall, admitted that there was an error made projections about the growth of the Brazilian market of automobiles. "The factory needed a production of 20 thousand units per year to be profitable for the Audi and to suppliers," he said days before terminating the line in Parana.
The numbers, in fact, never came close to it. In 2001, his best year, Audi built 13,700 cars. After that, the curve inverted. Closed 2005 with 4,475 units and in the year of the closure produced less 2 thousand models of the A3.
From that point, hatch has come from Germany charging heavy taxation for imported. In the case of VW, the strategy of maintaining the Golf in production until today, but without monitoring the evolutions of the European model, claimed the fight for the lead between the hatches. Since 2007, the car sports a visual fourth generation Brazilian-looking guy and currently a success about 800 units/month.