Trump Announces Audi’s First U.S. Factory, a $4.2 Billion Plant in Georgia

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President Donald Trump announced Saturday, Oct. 24, that German automaker Audi will build its first U.S. manufacturing plant near Macon, Georgia, a $4.2 billion investment. “Today I’m thrilled to announce a massive auto manufacturing investment in the great state of Georgia,” Trump told a rally crowd in Perry, Georgia. “Audi has just committed to invest $4.2 billion in nearby Macon, Georgia.”

The plant is slated to produce about 200,000 vehicles a year, and Georgia officials expect roughly 4,500 jobs, according to Fox Business. Trump said construction could begin “next month.” “This will be the single largest investment in U.S. auto industry history, modern history,” the president said. At the same rally, Trump repeated his pitch for a $5,000 “Trump dividend” for each adult citizen if Republicans keep both chambers of Congress, according to Fox News.

Details & Background

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner joined Trump onstage along with Audi of America President Vito Paladino. Döllner said the Georgia plant will build the company’s largest premium SUVs for the North American market. Reuters, citing a government official, reported that the factory is expected to build the Q7, Q8 and Q9, and that Audi is also expected to assemble about 25,000 vehicles at Volkswagen’s Scout Motors plant under construction in Blythewood, South Carolina. Some vehicles now built in Europe would be exported from the U.S. plants, according to the Reuters source. Audi’s sales fell 7% in the first half of 2026, and its Neckarsulm plant is one of four German Volkswagen plants that may close after 2030, Reuters reported.

The announcement comes as Trump has pressed automakers to move production to the United States, raising tariffs on imported autos, steel, aluminum and parts. Fox News reported that Trump framed the Audi deal as vindication of that approach, and he credited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for helping secure it. Trump also claimed at the rally that $40 billion in auto industry investments would create 30,000 jobs. In July, Toyota announced a $3.6 billion expansion of its San Antonio truck plant that will create 2,000 jobs and shift some production from Mexico, according to Reuters.

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Audi’s leadership cast the plant as a long-term bet on America. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for Audi, for the Audi team and for America,” Döllner said. “We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs and produce them here in Macon, Georgia.” He added, “This is a long-term investment because we believe in the American market.”

Critics of the president’s trade agenda argue tariffs have raised vehicle prices, and Reuters noted that U.S. vehicle and parts employment has declined since Trump took office, as cuts to electric vehicle incentives reduced EV and battery production. Audi’s U.S. sales are down 16% this year, Reuters reported. Georgia has competitive races for Senate and governor this fall, and the rally was held to boost Republican candidates, including Senate nominee Rep. Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson.

Why This Matters to You

For working families in central Georgia, a plant of this size means thousands of direct jobs, plus the suppliers, construction crews and local businesses that grow up around a major factory. Building vehicles here instead of overseas also keeps more of the money Americans spend on cars inside the U.S. economy and strengthens the country’s industrial base.

The bigger question is whether announcements like this one become a trend. Trump has staked much of his economic agenda on the idea that pressure on foreign companies will bring factories home. With voters heading to the polls Nov. 3 amid high gas prices and inflation concerns, Audi’s decision gives the president a concrete example to point to, and gives Georgia a long-term investment in its future.