In July 2025, a video went viral on social networks, the author of which captured many Audi cars allegedly awaiting disposal. We have checked its accuracy.
“Hundreds of new Audis will be sent to the press in Germany - they were not sold on time. Now cars are forced to be scrapped, since selling at a reduced price is unprofitable, and maintenance is more expensive than disposal. To tears..." - commented on the video on the Telegram channel "Ax+"(2.3 million views at the time of writing this analysis). Similar posts appeared in other channels, for example “Ax Live"(505,000 views), "Dvach" (322,000) and "Rhymes and punches"(201,000). Videos are also published on Reddit And entertaining websites.
The earliest publication of this video that Verified found was dated July 13th. That day video posted on Instagram, a user with the username usautodillers. “These are all new cars, all zero. <…> All these cars will go under pressure. These are unsold cars,” says the voice-over. “Verified” requested a comment from the owner of this account, but did not receive a response at the time of publication of the analysis.
On one of the buildings caught in the frame, a logo with the inscription Retek is visible. This is the name of a German company located in the city of Ilow in the federal state of Lower Saxony. Studying Google Maps and photos of the company on company website reveals that the viral video was filmed there.
Retek specializes in vehicle dismantling and spare parts trade. It cooperates with most major German automakers, including Audi. Enterprise takes territory of 45,000 sq. m and annually dismantles up to 6,000 cars for parts.
The factory warranty applies to new Audi cars. four years from the moment of their sale, however, with a long period of downtime in storage, the likelihood of breakdowns increases. Therefore, back in 2003, the German Federal Supreme Court admitted, that if more than 12 months have passed between the production and sale of a car, the car can no longer be considered new from the factory. Losing this status does not mean that the car needs to be scrapped, but its price should be reduced, and the discount can be up to 25%. In recent years in Germany there has been a problem of overproduction of cars, primarily electric cars: according to Bild, in 2024 at only one logistics site in Essen accumulated about 6,000 unsold cars. This is attributed to the decreased purchasing power of the population and the termination of government subsidies for the purchase of electric cars.
However, recycling is the last step that automakers decide to take. Cars that sell poorly are sent to wholesale car auctions so that later implement them in Eastern Europe or Africa. In addition, part of the unsold cars ends up in rental and leasing companies. In order for a car without mileage to be sent for recycling, the manufacturing company must recognize it as unfit for sale. This usually happens if the car was damaged during storage (for example, a warehouse or production facility was flooded, as happened in 2016 at one of the Audi plants), if the batch was found manufacturing defects or if the model is outdated. In particular, the viral video captured Audi A6 fourth generation, production of which ceased in 2018 - which means that even the newest of these machines are already more than six years old. Such cars may well be considered unfit for sale and sent for recycling.
However, this does not mean that they will simply be sent under pressure, as stated in the video. How explains Audi, according to European legislation 95% of their vehicle parts are recyclable or recyclable. From cars take out All such parts are dismantled, the glass is dismantled, and the empty body is sent to the press and subsequently for recycling.
Thus, the viral video depicts the site of a company that specializes in dismantling cars into spare parts for their further resale. The cars placed in the warehouse most likely have some kind of damage or are simply obsolete. They are dismantled, spare parts are sold, and the rest is sent for processing. Therefore, the contention of the author of the video that he filmed hundreds of new cars that will soon go under the press is unfounded.
Cover photo: screenshot of a viral video
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