Who Owns Audi?

Audi's sustainability program is documented in its annual sustainability reports and cross-referenced in Volkswagen Group's regulatory filings.

All four Audi production plants, Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm, Gyor, and San Jose Chiapa, achieved certified carbon-neutral production status as of January 1, 2025. Carbon neutrality here covers Scope 1 (direct emissions) and Scope 2 (purchased energy) emissions, with residual emissions offset through certified carbon credits. External auditors verified the status.

The Aluminum Closed Loop program, operating since 2017, returns aluminum sheet offcuts from Audi's press shops directly to aluminum suppliers for remelting into equivalent-quality sheet. Audi reports that this loop, which operates at facilities in Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm, Gyor, and Munchsmunster, avoids approximately 500,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually, as recycled aluminum requires approximately 95% less energy than primary production.

The Gyor plant in Hungary has operated on 100% geothermal thermal energy since 2015, covering more than 95% of the site's heating and cooling requirements. A 12-megawatt solar array on site supplements electrical supply.

Audi's Mission:Zero program targets four areas: decarbonization, water, biodiversity, and resource efficiency. The brand conducts vehicle Life Cycle Assessments following ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards and publishes the results.

Audi does not hold B Corp certification. The sustainability claims above are derived from Audi's published Impact Statements and Volkswagen Group's sustainability disclosures, not from brand marketing materials.

The MotorWeek Drivers' Choice Awards for 2026 named the Audi A5 as Best Luxury Car and the Audi S3 as Best Sport Sedan. These are independently judged awards from MotorWeek, the longest-running automotive TV program in the United States.

The 2026 World Car of the Year program named the Audi A6 e-tron/S6 e-tron and Audi A6/S6 as World Luxury Car finalists. The AUDI E5 Sportback, produced for the Chinese market under the AUDI sub-brand, won the 2026 China Car of the Year award.

Audi's Le Mans prototype racing program won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twelve times between 2000 and 2014, the most successful run in the race's modern era for any single manufacturer.

GearJunkie and Blister Gear Review have rated Audi's Aluminum Closed Loop program as among the most substantive manufacturer recycling programs in the automotive sector, based on published tonnage data.

Dieselgate Emissions Scandal (2015, ongoing settlements through 2025): Volkswagen Group, including Audi, was found to have installed software-based "defeat devices" in diesel vehicles that reduced nitrogen oxide emissions during regulatory testing but allowed them to rise to levels up to 40 times the legal limit during normal operation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a Notice of Violation to Volkswagen on September 18, 2015. Audi's 3.0-liter V6 diesel engines were implicated alongside Volkswagen's 2.0-liter four-cylinder units.

Volkswagen Group reached a $14.7 billion settlement in the United States in 2016 covering 2.0-liter diesel vehicles, plus a separate $1 billion settlement for 3.0-liter Audi and Porsche models. Global settlements, fines, and remediation costs across all jurisdictions exceeded $30 billion. Audi's then-CEO Rupert Stadler was arrested in Munich in June 2018 and was convicted in December 2023 by a Munich court, receiving a suspended sentence and a fine of 1.1 million euros. As of June 2026, Audi has paid its settlements and is not under active criminal prosecution in connection with Dieselgate.

Belgium Plant Restructuring (2024-2025): Audi's Brussels plant, which produced the Q8 e-tron, faced production cuts beginning in 2024 as Q8 e-tron demand fell short of projections. Audi announced the closure of the Brussels facility in February 2025, affecting approximately 3,000 employees. Belgian labor unions contested the closure through legal proceedings. As of June 2026, winding-down operations are ongoing.