Audi plans $4 billion Georgia SUV plant for early 2030s

Trump announced the plan at a rally in Perry, Georgia, near Macon, where Audi intends to build at the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County. The site has backing from Peach, Houston and Macon-Bibb counties, and Georgia officials cite rail connections and the state's ports as advantages for vehicle assembly. The rally came before the 3 November midterms, with competitive races for Senate and governor on the ballot.

Audi said construction is scheduled to begin next year, with production starting in the early 2030s. Georgia's announcement gives a different schedule: grading in 2027, construction in 2028 and full production in 2031.

What Audi has outlined

Audi said the investment will create approximately 4,500 jobs and the plant is designed for up to 200,000 vehicles a year. The company expects additional economic opportunities for suppliers, logistics companies and local service providers. A US official told Reuters the plant is expected to assemble the Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs.

"We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs, and produce them here in Macon, Georgia," Audi CEO Gernot Doellner said at the event. He called it "a long-term investment because we believe in the American market."

Georgia plans to work with Audi on workforce development through Georgia Quick Start and technical-college partners.

Tariffs and the US market

Audi imports every vehicle it sells in the US from Europe or Mexico. Trump's tariffs on imported vehicles, steel, aluminium and parts cost Audi about €1.2 billion, or $1.4 billion, last year. Trump credits the tariffs with drawing the plant to the US.

Senator Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, said the plant "would never have happened without tariffs, without common sense regulations and without eliminating California's ability to regulate fuel economy standards." He also said that with the investment Audi "will build all of their SUVs exclusively in the U.S."

Critics say the tariffs have raised vehicle prices and that trade uncertainty has delayed some automaker investment decisions.

Sales pressure

Audi's global sales fell for a second consecutive year and slid 7% in the first half of 2026, as competition in China and US tariffs hit demand. Its US sales are down 16% this year.

The $4 billion investment is about €3.77 billion.

What happens next

Georgia's schedule calls for grading in 2027 and construction in 2028, while Audi's release says construction begins next year. Both point to production in the early 2030s. Christiane Benner, head of IG Metall and Volkswagen's deputy supervisory board chair, said Volkswagen's supervisory board must make the final investment decision.