Thousands protest in Brussels as electric vehicle problems threaten Audi plant. 17/09/2024

Protesters march during a demonstration in support of the employees of the Audi plant threatened with closure in Belgium and called on the European Union to invest in the industrial sector in Brussels on September 16, 2024. - Outside an Audi factory in Brussels, described by the German carmaker as the “cradle” of its electric powertrain, around 200 picketing workers huddled around a bonfire in the morning drizzle. The company is considering closing the plant, a move that analysts say is symptomatic of the problems afflicting Europe's broader electric car sector amid low demand and competition from China. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Thousands protest in Brussels as electric vehicle problems threaten Audi plant.

Brussels, Belgium - Thousands of people demonstrated in Brussels on Monday in solidarity with workers at a nearby Audi plant, which produces electric vehicles and which the German carmaker is considering closing amid falling sales.

Audi has said that production at the plant, which employs around 3,000 people in the Belgian capital, will be shut down by 2025 - a move that analysts say is symptomatic of the problems afflicting the European car industry in general amid low demand and competition from China.

In a few weeks, we'll find ourselves unemployed, with no money and no prospects,” said a 37-year-old worker who preferred not to give his name, holding a sign that read: ”Our lives are not an assembly line.

Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which earlier this month made the bombshell announcement that it was considering the unprecedented move to close production plants in Germany.

On Monday, police said that more than 5,000 people marched through Brussels as part of the protest.

Some set off fireworks and smoke bombs, and others held union flags and placards reading “We are not for sale.”

The organizers said they wanted to encourage EU leaders to take action and invest massively to save jobs in the industrial sector. They estimate the number of participants to be more than 10,000.

The demonstration comes as Brussels factory workers have gone on a prolonged strike, refusing to return to work after the summer break.

Some are sleeping in tents outside the modern factory, which started producing electric vehicles in 2018 after 70 years of making combustion engine models.

“They ruined everything with the electrics,” said Karim Chawki, 52, a worker on the picket line.

“They wanted to innovate. We were going to be a pilot factory, but they put it on a wall. It didn't work out, and now we're paying for it.”

The Chinese blues

Europe has been striving to produce more EVs as part of its ecological transition, with the EU deadline to phase out the sale of fossil fuel cars by 2035.

But sales have struggled. In July, new registrations fell by 6% year-on-year across the continent, according to the European Union.

This was partly due to the phasing out of some subsidies, but weakening demand has fueled concerns about the sector.

Cheaper Chinese vehicles have saturated the market, while consumers have yet to get used to electric vehicles, which have higher initial costs and tend to lose value more quickly, he said.

Audi did not respond to a request for comment.

In July, the company said demand for the high-end Q8 e-tron made in Brussels had fallen, and the plant suffered from high logistics and production costs.

“It's about time Europe woke up. Today we are losing on all fronts, in terms of jobs and terms of the climate,” said Yvan Verougstraete, a Belgian MEP from the centrist Renew group, who took part in Monday's demonstration.

The EU is discussing plans to impose import duties of up to 36% on electric vehicles imported from China.

The bloc decided in July to levy extra tariffs after an anti-subsidy investigation concluded that car manufacturers in China had unfairly benefited from state subsidies.

'Legitimate anger'

But the measure has faced resistance from some countries, including Spain and Germany, who fear damage to trade ties with Beijing.

Last week, a report by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi said the tariffs would “help level the playing field.”

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has promised a new “Clean Industrial Agreement” to channel investment into infrastructure and industry within the first 100 days of her new team taking office at the end of this year.

But that may be too late for Brussels Audi workers.

“Their anger is very legitimate, very understandable, especially since Audi is not very clear on its plans,” Bernard Clerfayt, the minister responsible for employment in the Brussels region, told AFP.

Belgian unions called a nationwide strike on Monday, with stoppages elsewhere in solidarity.

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