Audi plans to build its first dedicated US car plant in Georgia, a project the company says will create about 4,500 jobs. The Audi Georgia plant would be built at the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County, near Macon. The plan was announced by President Donald Trump at a rally in Perry, Georgia, according to SCMP.
Audi plans to invest around $4 billion in the facility, according to Euronews. DW reports the same figure, equal to 3.77 billion euros. SCMP reports $4.2 billion, attributing that figure to Trump’s announcement. No company filing has confirmed either number.
Trump said the plant would have a planned annual capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles and called it the single largest investment in US auto industry history, according to SCMP. Audi says construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with car production starting in the early 2030s, according to DW. A US government official told Reuters, as reported by DW, that the plant is expected to assemble the Audi Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs. Audi’s own statement mentions only large, high-end SUVs for North American customers.
Trump said tariffs were behind the decision, saying, "Without tariffs, they wouldn’t be coming in." DW reports that Trump’s tariffs cost Audi around 1.2 billion euros last year. Euronews reports that Audi also cites its long-term US expansion, market access and the regional supplier base. No independent source or Audi comment has confirmed tariffs as the main reason, and no Audi or Volkswagen response to the tariff claims was included in the sources reviewed.
Audi has until now imported its US vehicles from Europe or Mexico. Georgia already hosts a Kia plant in West Point, which has operated since 2009, and a Hyundai electrified-vehicle plant near Savannah.
IG Metall, the German union, welcomes the move, but the final decision still needs approval from Volkswagen’s responsible committees, and that approval has not yet been given. Preparatory work is due to begin in 2027, and the state of Georgia is targeting 2031 for full-scale production.
The announcement came during the midterm campaign, as Republicans seek to flip a Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff. Republicans face rising prices and the ongoing war in Iran. The key facts in this report rely mainly on Euronews and DW, along with a short SCMP excerpt, and the Georgia state authorities’ location reasons appear only in a German-language source.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.