Volkswagen's Audi is looking for an investor for its struggling Brussels plant, the premium brand's production director Gerd Walker said on Tuesday. The company has examined several options for the site and discussed them with employees,

Audi is looking for an investor for its struggling Brussels plant, production director Gerd Walker told Reuters on Tuesday.

According to Audi Board Member for Production Gerd Walker, the Ingolstadt-based car manufacturer no longer sees any use for its factory in Brussels, which is threatened with closure, and is therefore now looking for an investor.

Thomas Bogus, who has been responsible for the electrification of a host of Audi sites, will now take on management of Audi's Brussels plant.

Outside an Audi factory in Brussels described by the German carmaker as the "cradle" of its electric drive, around 200 picketing workers huddled around a bonfire in the morning drizzle.

The strikes in Brussels are part of a growing international movement of autoworkers in defence of their jobs and wages, which are under attack on all fronts. At a factory meeting at the main Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg on the same day, tens of thousands of workers protested against the company’s austerity drive and planned job cuts.

The threat of closing a nearby Audi factory has led to a significant protest by European automotive industry workers. On 16th September, more than 5,000 individuals marched through the streets of Brussels.