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President Donald Trump announced plans for Audi’s first U.S. manufacturing plant during a campaign rally Saturday night in Perry, Georgia, presenting the project as evidence that his tariff policies are bringing industrial investment back to the United States.
Trump said the German automaker would invest $4.2 billion in a large factory near Macon capable of producing 200,000 vehicles annually. Audi AG separately put the investment at $4 billion.
Audi’s first U.S. production site
The factory is planned for the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County. Audi said it expects to build premium SUVs for the North American market, with annual production capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles.
Site preparation is scheduled to begin in 2027, followed by construction in 2028. The factory is expected to reach full operation in 2031 and create about 4,500 jobs.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the company plans to produce its largest and most luxurious SUVs in the Macon area. He described the project as a long-term investment reflecting Audi’s confidence in the U.S. market and its ambition to establish a stronger brand and a competitive local production base.
Gerd Walker, Audi’s board member for production and logistics, said building a plant from the ground up would allow the company to redesign its manufacturing approach from the beginning.
Georgia plans to provide customized worker training and a dedicated training facility through its Quick Start program and the Technical College System of Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp called Audi’s decision another milestone for the state.
Trump credits tariffs
Trump described the project as the largest single investment in the modern history of the U.S. auto industry, though Audi’s announced investment is smaller than Hyundai Motor Group’s existing Georgia project.
Trump argued that Audi would not have chosen the United States without his tariffs. He said the policy was encouraging major corporations to return production and investment to the country, and he rejected former President Barack Obama’s past assessment of America’s manufacturing prospects.
Georgia has already attracted one of the largest Korean industrial investments in the United States. Hyundai Motor Group’s $7.59 billion Metaplant America project in Bryan County covers 2,996 acres and is expected to create more than 8,500 jobs, making it the largest economic development project in state history.
Hyundai announced the project in May 2022 and broke ground that October. Production of the Ioniq 5 electric vehicle began in October 2024, followed by the plant’s official opening in March 2025. At full capacity, the facility is designed to produce 500,000 electric and hybrid vehicles annually.
Farm aid and energy prices
Trump also said his administration had provided $12 billion to American farmers to compensate for damage caused by what he called unfair foreign trade practices. He said $212 million of that support would go to Georgia farmers.
Addressing higher oil prices linked to the war with Iran, Trump predicted prices would fall sharply soon after the conflict ends. He said the U.S. oil and gas industry was earning hundreds of billions of dollars, while acknowledging that Americans struggling with fuel costs could object to the administration emphasizing industry profits.
Midterm campaign intensifies
The Georgia appearance was intended to build support for Republican candidates and encourage turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress and several governorships.
Trump attacked Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff over immigration and inflation and urged voters to support Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson. Jackson, who joined Trump onstage, called the Audi project the largest economic agreement in Georgia history.
Trump asked supporters to vote as though his own name were on the ballot.
On the same day, Obama campaigned for Democratic candidates in Ohio and Michigan. At a rally in Cleveland, he accused the Trump administration of two years of extraordinary chaos, cruelty, corruption and incompetence. He called the Iran conflict unnecessary and argued that the war and tariff policies had increased prices and living costs.
Obama also mocked Trump’s White House renovations, saying the president belonged on HGTV and comparing the gold-heavy décor to Saddam Hussein’s palaces and a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. He urged voters to treat the election as their best remaining opportunity to restrain the administration.
Trump claimed in Georgia that Obama’s Michigan event had been nearly empty and accused the news media of exaggerating Obama’s crowds while minimizing his own. The New York Times said that characterization was inaccurate.
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