BRUSSELS - German automobile manufacturer Audi AG told a press conference that is has “absolutely no plans” to close its Brussels plant if Porsche AG acquires a majority stake in parent company Volkswagen AG, according to Forbes.

The press conference was called to dispel fears following reports in German weekly Der Spiegel and Belgian weekly Trends Tendances.

Werner Widuckel, a member of the Audi board of directors, told a press conference: “Brussels is crucial to our plans. Given that we want to expand our overall production from one million vehicles per year to 1.5 million by 2015, we need all the capacity we can find, and Brussels is included in that strategy.” He added, “There are no grey clouds on the horizon. The sun will shine over Brussels.”

On the question of possible redundancies, Widuckel said: “We intend to take on 80 more people by the time the new A1 model is built in Brussels,” according to Forbes.

He added that the decision to make the new model in Brussels from 2009 should be seen as a symbol of the company's confidence in the city. A spokesman for a trade union said he is confident of Audi's commitment for the Forest plant.