News in detail

Mar 10, 2008

• €222 million profit sharing paid to employees in 2008
• Human Resources Chief Dr. Werner Widuckel: “Audi’s success
is securing employment and creating new jobs”
• General Works Council Chairman Peter Mosch: “The
distribution is good news for employees”

Ingolstadt - AUDI AG’s outstanding results in fiscal 2007 are paying off for the around 45,000 employees at its German locations in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm: The company will be distributing €222 million (154)* to its employees this year. “Audi’s success is always first and foremost the success of our people,” said Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Human Resources. “Their commitment to the economic success of the company helps to secure employment and should benefit each and every employee.”

The extended employee profit sharing plan (“eMEB”) was contained in the agreement named “Audi’s Future – Performance, Success, Sharing” between the General Works Council and the company’s management in April 2005. The extended employee profit sharing plan is a voluntary, non-contractual and success-based element of employees’ pay. At its Annual Press Conference, Audi announced the highest profit from operating activities in the company’s history: €2,705 (2,015) million. Ten percent of the operating profit above a baseline of €1.2 billion, i.e. €150 million, will be distributed to employees in May of this year for this success-based element alone.

Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council at AUDI AG, said: “The ‘Audi’s Future’ agreement is increasingly paying off with a view to securing the locations and enabling the workforce to financially share in the company’s success. The average distribution of nearly €5,300 to those employees covered by the collective-bargaining agreement is good news for the people working in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, who are being rewarded for their outstanding commitment.”

This year marks the third time that distributions are being paid under the extended employee profit sharing plan, in addition to the former employee profit sharing plan (“MEB”). The employee profit sharing plan consists of a base amount, a seniority-based bonus, as well as a variable share of the company’s success. An average of €1,700 per employee will be paid in July.

In doing so, Audi is rewarding the achievements of its people this year with a bonus (MEB and eMEB) averaging nearly €5,300 (3,700). This represents 43 percent more than the year before.

Audi invests €2 billion a year in new products, alone. Over the course of the next eight years, the carmaker will be expanding the number of vehicle models in its portfolio from 25 today to 40. This year, Audi will be covering its higher demand for university graduates, primarily engineers, by hiring 800 new people. “In doing so, our growth targets are not only securing employment, but are also creating new jobs,” said Widuckel. Audi is again providing apprenticeships in 20 vocations for some 700 young people this year.