Audi plant facing closure needs 'viable' solutions, CEO tells workers

BERLIN, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Audi's factory in Neckarsulm, one of the Volkswagen Group's four German production sites facing possible closure, needs a "viable" perspective to secure its future, the premium brand's CEO told workers on Thursday.

• "Neckarsulm boasts extensive industrial expertise and an impressive history. But tradition alone does not guarantee a future," Gernot Doellner said, according to excerpts of a speech shared by the company.

• The Audi boss said the carmaker must boost competitiveness on costs, speed and productivity, echoing a message to brands across the German auto group in its ramped-up restructuring drive.

• For Neckarsulm, this means working "together to develop a sustainable industrial vision", Doellner told a workers assembly at the plant in south-west Germany.

• Three Volkswagen plants and the Audi site face staggered closure from 2031 unless other solutions are found, with Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume floating Chinese partnerships or defence deals as possible alternatives.

• About 15,000 people work at Neckarsulm, which produces Audi's A5, A6 and A8 models.

• Blume is pursuing a radical overhaul of the sprawling German auto group, slashing jobs and excess production capacity to revive margins hit by US tariffs and Chinese competition.

(Reporting by Rachel More and Christina AmannEditing by Linda Pasquini)