The Board of Management and the Works Council of Audi have confirmed that a new SUV model, the Q1, will be produced at its plant in Ingolstadt, Germany from 2016. At this site, Audi also produces models in the A and B segments, namely the A3, A3 Sportback, the A4 and A5 models.

"The Audi Q1 is part of our broad based SUV strategy. It is designed on the basis of the modular transverse engine concept and will round off our Q series at the bottom end," stated Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG.

The new model is expected to make a significant contribution to the company's ongoing growth and will strengthen its international competitiveness. By 2020, Audi aims to expand its product range from the current 49 models to more than 60, and reach total unit sales of more than two million cars each year.

Amidst the Q family, the Q5 is the global market leader in its direct competitive environment. By the end of October this year, 194,930 examples of the mid-sized SUV had been delivered to customers globally - a 17 percent increase over the same period last year. Overall, Audi has produced and delivered more than 1.5 million Q family models since the market launch of the first SUV in 2006.