New Audi A5 Production
With the new Audi A5 family, the first models based on the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) with partially electrified drive systems and new electronic architecture are rolling off the production line in Neckarsulm. The brand with the four rings is consistently gearing vehicle production towards sustainability. The goal: In line with the “360factory” production strategy, all models manufactured at the Neckarsulm site from 2025 will be net carbon-neutral. To achieve this, Audi is relying on more efficient production lines, a higher degree of automation, and innovative technologies. From 2025, the renovated paint shop will be one of the most modern in the automotive industry.
When it is completed in 2025, the renovated paint shop at the Neckarsulm site will be among the most modern in the automotive industry. Numerous processes have already been optimized, and environmentally friendly procedures have been introduced for the launch of the Audi A5. While sustainable water-based paints have long been standard at Audi, the latest models also undergo a new painting process. The filler is replaced by a pre-zone paint that can be applied wet-on-wet. The previous separate drying of the filler is no longer necessary, allowing the four rings to reduce energy consumption significantly: Up to 140 kWh can be saved per vehicle.
In Neckarsulm, Audi relies on modern and effective methods to prevent corrosion. Cathodic dip painting, for example, includes dipping and rotating the body upside down in the tank using a rotation process. This is more space-saving and thorough, as it avoids minimal air bubble formation and dirt deposits. A new, more energy-efficient process is also used for drying the cathodic dip coating. Instead of the previous external drying process, a so-called transverse drying process is now used. Air is blown into the interior, and the body is heated from the inside. In addition to being more energy efficient, the transverse dryer is better suited to future electric and hybrid vehicles and their strengthened floor assemblies.
Audi achieves a further energy saving of around 50 kWh per vehicle thanks to a new paint separation process. Previously, the paint mist was collected in water with 100 percent fresh air and disposed of. In the new dry separation process, it is captured by state-of-the-art filters instead. This process allows more than 90 percent of the filtered air to be reused, largely eliminating the need for energy-intensive fresh air conditioning. At the same time, in contrast to conventional wet separation, the use of fresh water and chemicals is eliminated.
Audi is committed to using valuable water resources responsibly across all its sites: The company aims to halve its ecologically weighted water consumption in production by 2035. To this end, the Four Rings in Neckarsulm relies on a closed water cycle using the Unteres Sulmtal Wastewater Association’s wastewater treatment plant adjacent to the site. New pipes and plant technology ensure that no more process water will be taken from the nearby Neckar canal. This will save up to 70 percent of fresh water from 2025. Audi will further treat the water purified by the wastewater treatment plant with the help of filter systems and membranes. The process water then flows back into the treatment plant. Last year, Audi joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), once again underlining its commitment to the economical and efficient use of water.
Neckarsulm is the first site in the Group to install all add-on parts in the body shop fully automatically. In this way, Audi improves the fitting accuracy of the add-on parts and minimizes external influences. Seven robots are used simultaneously for the highly complex fender attachment alone.
As part of Audi’s “360factory” production strategy, its supply chain relies on the smart, automated provision of materials. Automation roadmaps have been created for each location and are gradually becoming a reality. Neckarsulm was the first Audi site worldwide to put the freely navigating, driverless transport systems (DTS) into operation back in 2014. With the start of production of the new Audi A5, over 80 percent of the material volumes in the body shop are now provided automatically.
Virtually smokeless fixing is a world-first in car body construction. It involves attaching glued components, such as doors with small soldering points, to prevent the inner and outer parts from slipping. Previously, numerous soldered fixing points had to be cleaned, as smoke is corrosive. The new process almost eliminates residue build-up thanks to a rotating gas flow.
Quality control measurements in the body shop are mainly carried out inline, i.e., without removing a vehicle from the line. New measuring technology is used at two stations. Four robots at each station use measuring sensors to determine the components’ dimensional accuracy.