By 2016, the manufacturer said it will have invested £10.7bn (€13bn) on its property, plant and equipment, with €8bn earmarked for its sites at Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm in Germany. New specialist employees will be brought in from existing apprentices as well as students from vocational training academies and participants in the StEP (Study and Experience in Practice) programme.

Thomas Sigi, member of the board of management for human resources at Audi AG, said: ‘We are aiming to achieve strong growth on an international scale and boost our lightweight construction and electric mobility areas of expertise in particular. That is why we will be hiring even more people and are planning to appoint a further 1,200 experts next year.’

Audi will launch the first of its electric range in 2012, with the petrol-electric A8 hybrid at the end of the year. An all-electric sports car, the R8 e-tron, will follow shortly afterwards with a small-series production run.