The factory of car company Audi in Belgium is to close, leaving 3,000 workers unemployed.

As reported by news outlet Euronews, halfway through last year, car production had already declined and between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs had been cut.

However, as no serious investor or buyer had emerged by the end of October, it was decided to close the plant in February 2025.

“I feel strange that it’s coming to an end. When you come here for 15 years, the plant is a big part of your life. And all of a sudden, it’s ending. It’s like a whole part of your life is ending,” one of the workers told the news outlet.

Production is being moved to China and Mexico

The factory in Brussels’ Forest district has been assembling luxury Audis since 2006, when the then Volkswagen plant was saved from the brink of closure. who were on its last shift today, Friday.

In early 2024, it was announced that the plant’s car production would move to China and Mexico, where costs and labor are cheaper.

The announcements led workers and unions to go on strike and hold hundreds of car keys “hostage” in protest of the decision.

It is noted that the Belgian auto industry has experienced a steep decline over the past thirty years, having fallen by 80% since the late 1990s.

Speaking about the future of Audi’s factory in Brussels, Belgium’s defence minister, Theo Franken, has promoted the idea of turning the plant into a weapons production site, which could “create new jobs as there is an urgent need for military equipment.”