Audi is accelerating the use of artificial intelligence across its production and logistics operations, bringing cloud-based automation and smart quality control into the heart of its factories. At the Neckarsulm plant in Germany, the brand’s Edge Cloud 4 Production (EC4P) platform is now managing around 100 robots in the body shop producing A5 and A6 series models.
The cloud-native EC4P system replaces traditional on-site hardware controllers with virtual programmable logic controllers, helping Audi eliminate more than 1,000 industrial PCs across its German facilities. The shift improves scalability, reduces hardware dependency, and streamlines production management.
Audi is also expanding AI-led quality assurance. Its Weld Splatter Detection system identifies weld residue on vehicle underbodies and automatically flags affected areas for robotic grinding, improving consistency and finish. Meanwhile, Audi’s proprietary ProcessGuardAIn—designed to monitor and optimise manufacturing processes—is currently in pilot use at the Neckarsulm paint shop, with series rollout targeted for Q2 2026.
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Beyond individual plants, Audi is pushing broader factory digitalisation through the Next2OEM project at Ingolstadt. Working with ten partners, the automaker is demonstrating a fully digitised and automated wiring loom production and assembly process—an area that remains less than 10 percent automated industry-wide. The initiative highlights Audi’s push towards smarter, more flexible manufacturing for the future.
