Audi plans Georgia factory as Trump credits tariffs for investment

US President Donald Trump announced plans for a new Audi factory in Georgia at a campaign rally in Perry, according to Associated Press reporting on October 24, 2026. Reports put the Volkswagen investment at $4.2 billion, with the planned factory designed to make up to 200,000 vehicles a year.¹³⁴

Company sets out production plans

Audi said on October 25 that it intended to invest around $4 billion in what it described as its first US production site, creating approximately 4,500 jobs. The company plans to manufacture premium SUVs in Georgia for customers in North America.²

The company scheduled construction to begin in 2027, with production starting in the early 2030s. That differs from the timetable in a Trump statement reported by TASS on October 25, in which he said building work would start the following month. TASS placed the proposed factory near Macon.²⁵

Reuters reported that the Georgia assembly plant would produce 200,000 SUVs annually and identified the Q7, Q8 and Q9 as the expected models. Audi's own announcement described the planned annual capacity as up to 200,000 vehicles.⁶²

Trump links investment to tariffs

Trump defended his use of tariffs during the Georgia rally and credited them with attracting the investment, according to The Japan Times and the South China Morning Post. “Without tariffs, they wouldn’t be coming in,” he said, as reported by the South China Morning Post.³⁴

He also said tariffs had increased US wealth and described the project as the largest investment in the country's modern automotive history. Those were Trump's claims about the policy and the project's scale.³⁴⁵

According to Associated Press, Audi management board chairman Gernot Döllner attended the announcement alongside Trump. The news came ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, the agency reported.¹

Audi's regional strategy

Audi presented the project as part of an effort to expand its North American business. The company said a larger presence in the region could limit its exposure to trade and currency risks and help balance its worldwide operations.²

The company cited Georgia's workforce, supplier network and transport infrastructure as reasons for choosing the state. It said the Middle Georgia Mega Site offered room for expansion and that the planned jobs would also generate opportunities for suppliers, service businesses and training partners.²

Döllner said Audi had yet to achieve its full potential in the United States. “We have much greater ambitions for Audi in America,” he said in the company's announcement. Audi described North America as a planned third main production region alongside Europe and China.²