Audi plans its first US car plant in Georgia, a $4 billion SUV site

What happened

Audi plans its first US car plant at the Middle Georgia Megasite near Macon, announced on Saturday 24 October at President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Perry, Georgia. ^{[1, 2, 3, 6]}

Audi said it intends to invest around $4 billion and create about 4,500 jobs at a plant built for up to 200,000 vehicles a year. The governor's office also gave approximately $4 billion; Trump told the rally $4.2 billion, AFP reported. ^{[1, 2, 4]}

The rally came before the midterm elections of Tuesday 3 November. Trump told the crowd his trade policy was drawing companies to move production to the United States, Euronews reported. ^{[3, 5]}

Why it matters

Audi imports every vehicle it sells in the US from Europe or Mexico, and Reuters reported that US tariffs cost it 1.2 billion euros last year. Audi said local production would reduce its exposure to trade and currency risks and make North America a third pillar of its production beside Europe and China. ^{[1, 3]}

What it would build, and when

Gernot Döllner, Audi's chief executive, said at the event that Audi plans to bring 'our biggest and most premium SUVs' to Macon, Reuters reported. A US official told Reuters the plant would assemble the Q7, Q8 and Q9. ^[3]

Audi said construction is scheduled to begin in 2027 and production in the early 2030s. The governor's office gave a finer timetable: grading of the site in 2027, construction from 2028 and full production in 2031. Trump told the rally construction would begin next month, AFP reported. ^{[1, 2, 4]}

What settles it next

The plan is not final. Christiane Benner, head of the IG Metall union and deputy chair of Volkswagen's supervisory board, said that board must take the final decision, Reuters reported; Euronews, citing Tagesschau, said Volkswagen's committees must still approve it. ^{[3, 5]}

Benner called a new US plant 'right and necessary' but said firm prospects for workers at all sites, particularly in Germany, must be set out, Reuters reported. Audi's Neckarsulm plant is one of four German Volkswagen plants facing possible closure after 2030, Reuters noted. ^[3]

Who it reaches

Norfolk Southern (NSC) is adjacent: the governor's office says its Class I rail line serves the site and names the railroad among the project's partners. Kia's plant in West Point, building since 2009, and Hyundai's plant near Savannah are already in Georgia, Euronews noted. ^{[2, 5]}

Toyota (TM) and Honda (HMC) are adjacent: Reuters set the plan beside Toyota's $3.6 billion truck line in San Antonio, Texas, announced in July, and Honda's own consideration of a US assembly plant. ^[3]