Audi plans its first U.S. factory near Macon, Georgia, a roughly $4 billion investment expected to create about 4,500 jobs and build up to 200,000 SUVs a year.
Audi plans to open its first U.S. factory near Macon, Georgia, President Donald Trump said Saturday, joining other global carmakers that are leaning into the American market as demand softens elsewhere, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company said the plant will create approximately 4,500 jobs..
President Donald Trump announced the project Saturday at a midterm campaign rally in Perry. "I'm thrilled to announce a massive auto manufacturing investment in the great state of Georgia by a fantastic company," Trump told the crowd. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner joined him at the event.
Trump put the investment at $4.2 billion and said the plant could one day produce 200,000 cars a year. The plant is expected to assemble the Audi Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs. Döllner said Audi plans to bring its biggest and most premium SUVs to Georgia.
The site is the Middle Georgia Megasite. It sits about five miles west of Interstate 75 on the eastern outskirts of Fort Valley in Peach County. The project came out of a regional effort among Peach, Houston and Macon-Bibb counties through the Mid-Georgia Gateway Joint Development Authority.
Timing is not entirely clear from the early reports. Audi said in a press release that construction will start next year. Georgia officials said grading is set to begin in 2027 and construction in 2028. Audi said production would start in the early 2030s. The Georgia government has named 2031 as the target for full-scale production.
"Audi is building its future in America," said Vito Paladino, president of Audi of America, in the company's release. Döllner called the plant a "long-term investment" in the American market. Gov. Brian Kemp said Georgia is proud Audi chose it for the "truly historic investment and jobs" the plant will bring.
Trump has pressured automakers to move production to the United States and has raised tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and parts. He made the announcement as he sought to build support for Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The president credited his tariff policies for the decision.
The tariffs have been costly for Audi. The company imports all of its vehicles sold in the U.S., and last year's tariffs cost it 1.2 billion euros, or about $1.4 billion. The move also follows internal debate at the company. In August 2025, Audi's works council chief said labor leaders would back a U.S. expansion only if management guaranteed long-term jobs and output in Germany.
The investment marks the latest move by a global automaker to focus on American buyers as sales fall off elsewhere in the world, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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