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| Foto: Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) |
President Donald Trump announced the plan on Saturday, October 24, at a midterm campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, with Audi Chief Executive Gernot Döllner joining him on stage. The German luxury brand, owned by Volkswagen, confirmed the investment in its own news release the same day.
"We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs, and produce them here in Macon," Döllner said from the stage. "This is a long-term investment, because we believe in the American market."
The plant: 200,000 SUVs a year in Peach County
The factory will rise at the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County, near Macon — about 90 minutes south of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It will build Audi's largest current SUVs: the Q7, the Q8 and the recently announced Q9, all aimed at North American buyers.
The timeline is long. Site preparation and grading begin in 2027, construction starts in 2028, and full production is slated for 2031, with output beginning in the early 2030s at an annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. When complete, the Georgia site will be one of Audi's biggest manufacturing facilities anywhere in the world.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who announced the project alongside Döllner, called it a historic win for the middle of the state. "We are proud that Audi has selected Georgia as the home of their first U.S. manufacturing facility, delivering truly historic investment and jobs to middle Georgia," Kemp said. His office noted the state bought and improved the Middle Georgia Megasite precisely to attract a manufacturer of this caliber, and its Georgia Quick Start program will build a training center and start classes before the plant is finished.
Tariffs, timing and the midterm calendar
Trump put the figure at $4.2 billion and credited his tariff policies for the decision, calling it the biggest single investment in U.S. auto industry history. Audi's own release and Kemp's office both say about $4 billion — and the claim about the biggest investment is contested: Hyundai's $7.59 billion Metaplant near Savannah, promising at least 8,500 jobs, is larger.
The tariffs are real money for Audi either way. The duties clipped about 1.2 billion euros — roughly $1.3 billion — from the company's profits last year. But Döllner said the new factory is about more than tariffs. "The tariff situation was not the only issue," he said in an interview Sunday, pointing to a broader "structural competitive problem in America" — transport costs, supply chain disruption and currency swings that local production can soften.
Audi is the only German auto brand without a U.S. factory. Its corporate cousin Volkswagen, and direct rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have all produced cars in the South for decades.
The announcement also landed 10 days before the November 3 midterms, and the timing was not lost on anyone in Georgia. Trump staged the reveal at a rally meant to boost Republican candidates in the battleground state, including Representative Mike Collins, who is challenging Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, and Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for governor, who thanked Trump "for putting the biggest economic deal in Georgia history right here today."
Neither Audi's release nor Kemp's office listed any tax breaks or other incentives the state or local governments offered. Kemp's office said pay for all roles will be competitive and well-paying for the local market, but gave no figures.
Nobody is getting hired at the plant next month. But for middle Georgia, the promise is now concrete: 4,500 jobs, 200,000 SUVs a year, and a German luxury brand finally building cars in America.
Fuentes: Associated Press, 24 oct 2026; The Wall Street Journal; Fox 5 Atlanta; Audi AG press release, 25 oct 2026; Office of Governor Brian Kemp, 24 oct 2026.