Audi confirms $4bn Georgia SUV plant with production set for early 2030s
Audi confirmed a $4bn SUV assembly plant in Macon, Georgia, creating 4,500 jobs, after Trump announced it at a rally; production starts early next decade.
The story in focus
Audi has confirmed plans to spend $4bn building its first US factory, in Macon, Georgia, producing 200,000 SUVs a year and creating 4,500 jobs. Production is scheduled to begin in the early 2030s, starting construction next year, after President Trump announced the investment at a rally.
- Audi will invest $4bn in a first US assembly plant in Macon, Georgia.
- The plant is targeted to build 200,000 Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs annually and create 4,500 jobs.
- Construction is due to start next year, with vehicle production in the early 2030s.
- Trump announced the plant at a Georgia campaign rally; Audi CEO Gernot Döllner appeared with him.
- Some SUV production will shift from Bratislava, Slovakia, as Volkswagen cuts jobs in Germany.
Plant scope and timeline
Audi said it will spend $4bn to construct its first US factory in Macon, Georgia, and that construction is scheduled to begin next year, with car production starting in the early 2030s. The plant is expected to assemble the Audi Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs, a US official told Reuters, and is targeted to build 200,000 SUVs annually. The investment is expected to create about 4,500 jobs. Some SUV output will shift from Bratislava in Slovakia.
Tariff and trade backdrop
The announcement follows Trump’s 15% tariffs on imports from the EU, which Audi has said cost it €1.2bn last year. Volkswagen has said the tariffs cost it up to €5bn a year before lower sales, and in July chief executive Oliver Blume described US tariffs as a significant burden that restricts international trade. Trump credited his tariff policies for the decision when he announced the plant at a rally in Perry, Georgia, and Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner appeared with him, saying he accepted the invitation out of respect for the US.
Jobs contrast and demand focus
The US investment contrasts with cuts at home: Volkswagen has started cutting as many as 100,000 jobs and closing factories, blaming Chinese competition, tariffs and heavy EV spending for markets outside the US. Trump has promoted new factory investment as evidence his tariffs raise US manufacturing employment, although US vehicle and parts employment has fallen since he took office last year. Audi said demand in the US remains for its large petrol SUVs, and the Q9 is planned with the American market in mind.
When is production due to start at Audi’s planned Georgia plant?
Audi said construction of the $4bn Macon, Georgia, plant is scheduled to begin next year, with car production starting in the early 2030s; it targets 200,000 SUVs a year.
Sources & further reading
- Volkswagen to build $4bn Audi SUV factory in US despite job cuts at home ↗The Guardian
- Trump announces Audi will build $4 billion factory in US state of Georgia ↗DW
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