Trump announces Audi will build $4 billion factory in Georgia

President Donald Trump announced on October 24, 2026, that Audi will build a $4 billion assembly plant in Macon, Georgia, creating 4,500 jobs with an annual capacity of 200,000 SUVs. Severe 25 percent import tariffs hit Audi with a €1.2 billion cost last year, causing U.S. sales to drop 16%. Trump used the Georgia rally announcement ahead of the November 3 midterms to claim tariff success, as Volkswagen seeks tariff relief in return for domestic investment.

Plans for Audi's Macon assembly plant

• ▪Audi Chief Executive Gernot Döllner stated at the October 24, 2026 event in Perry, Georgia, that Audi plans to assemble its largest and most premium SUVs in Macon
• ▪President Donald Trump announced on October 24, 2026, at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, that Audi will build a $4 billion assembly plant in Macon, Georgia
• ▪President Trump announced the planned Audi assembly plant in Macon, Georgia, will have the capacity to produce 200,000 sport utility vehicles per year, creating approximately 4,500 jobs

Trump rally in Perry, Georgia

• ▪President Trump announced Audi's $4 billion factory investment during an October 24, 2026 rally in Perry, Georgia, aimed at boosting Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections
• ▪A gold Audi Q9 SUV with manufacturer license plates was displayed outside President Trump's campaign rally venue in Perry, Georgia, on October 24, 2026

Tariffs credited for Audi's investment

• ▪Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno stated that Audi's Georgia factory investment occurred direct as a result of tariffs and common-sense regulations
• ▪President Trump credited his auto tariffs for compelling Audi to build its first U.S. assembly plant in Georgia

Volkswagen executive decision-making

• ▪Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume previously stated that the company could not afford to pay high tariffs while simultaneously investing heavily in new manufacturing capacity
• ▪Audi Chief Executive Gernot Döllner presented Audi's Georgia manufacturing proposal to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who then presented it to President Trump

Tariff relief discussions

• ▪President Donald Trump indicated at his October 24, 2026 rally that his administration could offer tariff concessions to automakers constructing vehicles in the United States
• ▪Volkswagen and U.S. officials are in talks regarding a potential proportional tariff relief credit for foreign manufacturers expanding domestic production in the U.S.

Financial impact of tariffs on Audi

• ▪President Trump's import tariffs caused a €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) financial impact on Audi over the year preceding Trump's October 24, 2026 Georgia plant announcement
• ▪Audi imports all of its U.S. market vehicles from Europe and Mexico, leaving it exposed to President Trump's 25 percent import tariffs on foreign vehicles and auto parts

Audi sales performance

• ▪Audi's global sales slid 7% in the first half of 2026 amid heightened competition in China and U.S. import tariffs
• ▪Audi's U.S. sales declined by 16% through September 2026, while total Volkswagen Group sales in the U.S. dropped nearly 10% in Q3 2026

Other Volkswagen Group manufacturing facilities

• ▪Volkswagen operates a manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that produces the Atlas SUV, and operates a factory in Neckarsulm, Germany, facing potential closure after 2030
• ▪Volkswagen plans to expand its Scout Motors plant under construction in Blythewood, South Carolina, to produce an additional 25,000 vehicles annually

Other automaker U.S. expansion plans

• ▪Honda Motor is considering constructing a U.S. assembly plant but warned it may not proceed unless the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade is extended
• ▪In July 2026, Toyota announced a $3.6 billion investment to construct a 2.5-million-square-foot truck assembly line on its San Antonio, Texas campus