Audi Plans $4 Billion Georgia Plant With 4,500 Jobs, Trump Says
President Donald Trump announced Audi’s plan for a $4 billion assembly plant in Georgia, with capacity for 200,000 SUVs a year and about 4,500 jobs. Audi says…
President Donald Trump said Audi plans to build a $4 billion assembly plant in Georgia, bringing production of up to 200,000 SUVs a year to the United States. The announcement came at a campaign rally in Perry, where the company said the project is expected to create approximately 4,500 jobs.
Audi says construction is scheduled to begin next year, with vehicle production starting in the early 2030s. The investment would give the German automaker its first U.S. assembly plant and place new production closer to the market it currently serves with vehicles imported from Europe or Mexico, according to CNBC.
Trump links Audi plant to tariff policy
Trump credited his tariff policies for Audi’s decision to manufacture in the United States. His administration has pressed automakers to move production to the country and raised tariffs on imported autos, steel, aluminum and parts.
At the rally, Trump highlighted the plant’s planned output. “Think of that. 200,000 cars a year. That's incredible,” he said, according to DW. The announcement also gives the president a manufacturing investment to point to as he campaigns for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
Audi CEO Gernot Doellner described the project as a long-term commitment. “We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs, and produce them here in Macon, Georgia,” he said at the event, according to CNBC. “This is a long-term investment because we believe in the American market.”
The planned models include the Audi Q7, Q8 and Q9, a U.S. official told Reuters, as reported by both DW and CNBC. Audi said the investment would create approximately 4,500 jobs. The company has not said in these reports how many of those jobs would be at the plant itself.
What the Georgia factory means for Audi
The investment could change how Audi supplies U.S. buyers. Producing vehicles locally would reduce the company’s reliance on imports from Europe and Mexico, while the planned SUVs would be built for the North American market. The project’s direct employment figure is approximately 4,500 jobs; CNBC also reported Audi’s separate plan to build 25,000 vehicles a year in neighboring South Carolina, citing a U.S. official.
Tariffs form part of the backdrop. DW and CNBC reported that the levies cost Audi €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) last year. Trump has presented the Georgia project as evidence that his trade policy is drawing production to the United States, while the investment also gives Audi a local manufacturing base for a market where it has relied on imported vehicles.
The announcement comes as Audi faces pressure on sales. CNBC reported that its sales fell for two consecutive years and slid 7% in the first half of 2026. The company’s U.S. sales are down 16% this year, according to the same report. The coverage also cited fierce competition in China and U.S. tariffs as factors weighing on demand.
The company’s schedule remains measured: construction is due to start next year, and production is planned for the early 2030s. The factory’s expected annual capacity is 200,000 SUVs.
Source: dw.com
