Nio has emerged as a possible buyer of the Audi plant in Belgium, as it looks to avoid costly new EU import tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars.
An offer will be submitted to Audi parent company the Volkswagen Group by 23 September, Belgian newspaper De Tijd has reported, citing “reliable sources”.
Audi has already confirmed that it will stop production at the factory – which opened in 1949 – after the last example of the Q8 E-tron electric SUV rolls off the line in 2025.
As previously reported by Autocar, this is part of a major cost-cutting operation by the Volkswagen Group, which has also placed two German plants on the chopping block.