PERRY, Ga., Oct. 25 (TodayViralUSA) — Audi will build its first manufacturing plant in the United States in central Georgia, investing about $4 billion in a factory designed to turn out up to 200,000 premium SUVs a year and employ roughly 4,500 people, the company and state officials said.
President Donald Trump announced the project on Saturday at a campaign rally in Perry, near Macon, nine days before the midterm elections. Trump put the commitment at $4.2 billion; Audi and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s office both described it as approximately $4 billion.
“We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs, and produce them here in Macon, Georgia,” Audi Chief Executive Gernot Döllner said at the event, according to CNBC. “This is a long-term investment because we believe in the American market.”
Where and when
The plant will sit on the Middle Georgia Megasite, developed by the Development Authority of Peach County with a joint development authority covering Houston, Macon-Bibb and Peach counties. Audi said construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with production starting in the early 2030s. Kemp’s office said site grading would begin in 2027, construction in 2028, and full production at 200,000 units a year in 2031.
The factory is expected to assemble the Audi Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs, a U.S. official told Reuters. The official also said Audi plans to build 25,000 vehicles a year in South Carolina at the $2 billion plant Volkswagen’s Scout Motors brand is constructing in Blythewood, near Columbia.
Why it matters
Audi, the luxury arm of Germany’s Volkswagen Group, has until now supplied U.S. buyers entirely from plants abroad. The company said the Georgia site would make North America a third major pillar of its global production network alongside Europe and China.
The decision comes as Trump has pressed automakers to shift production to the United States and has raised tariffs on imported vehicles, auto parts, steel and aluminum. In choosing Georgia, Audi cited speed to market, the available workforce, access to consumers and the state’s established automotive supplier network, Kemp’s office said.
The state’s Quick Start program will design customized training for Audi workers and partner with technical colleges to begin instruction while a dedicated training center is built.
Sources & Credits
- Office of Gov. Brian P. Kemp: Audi AG Selects Georgia to Invest $4 Billion in First US Manufacturing Facility
- Audi: Audi to establish first U.S. production site in Georgia, investing $4 billion and creating 4,500 jobs
- CNBC: Trump announces Audi will build $4 billion U.S. factory in Georgia
- The Associated Press: Trump says Audi will build a new factory in Georgia
Image: Audi Q8, by Kidfly182, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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