Trump Announces Audi Plant in Macon, Georgia, at Perry Rally; Audi Says Production Starts Early Next Decade
President Donald Trump announced at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, on Saturday that German automaker Audi plans to build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in nearby Macon, according to Fox Business.
What Trump Announced in Perry
"Today I'm thrilled to announce a massive auto manufacturing investment in the great state of Georgia by a fantastic company," Trump said. "Audi has just committed to invest $4.2 billion in nearby Macon, Georgia to begin the construction next month on a massive plant that will produce 200,000 cars a year."
Trump called it "the single largest investment in U.S. auto industry history, modern history," according to Fox Business. That is the president's claim. DW and Reuters put the investment at about $4 billion.
The plant is expected to create about 4,500 jobs and build premium SUVs for the North American market, according to Georgia officials quoted by Fox Business. The plant is expected to assemble the Audi Q7, Q8 and Q9, a U.S. official told Reuters, according to DW.
Trump credited Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with helping secure the deal and brought Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and Audi North America President Vito Paladino on stage, Fox Business reported. "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."
What Audi Says About the Timeline
Trump said construction could begin as early as next month. Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen, said construction is scheduled to begin next year, with car production starting in the early 2030s, according to DW.
Trump credited his tariff policies for Audi's decision, DW reported. Trump's tariffs cost Audi 1.2 billion euros (about $1.4 billion) last year, according to DW.
The president also touted what he described as $40 billion in broader auto industry investments that he said would create 30,000 jobs, according to Fox Business. On Friday, at a rally in Florida, Trump announced a $275 million initiative to recruit and keep nurses in nursing homes, Fox Business reported.
The announcement came less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as Trump campaigns for Republican candidates in Georgia.
Image: Audi Q7 (file photo), Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Sources: Fox Business, "Audi announces $4.2 billion new plant investment in Macon, Georgia" (Oct. 24, 2026): https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-audi-georgia-manufacturing-plant-investment-jobs ; DW, "Trump announces Audi will build $4 billion factory in US" (Oct. 24, 2026): https://www.dw.com/en/trump-announces-audi-will-build-4-billion-factory-in-us/a-79753479
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