Audi sets 2027 construction start for its Macon plant

Audi says production will begin in the early 2030s

In a news release, Audi said construction of its first Georgia plant in Macon was scheduled to begin in 2027 and that production would begin in the early 2030s. Audi said the facility would create approximately 4,500 jobs.

At the Saturday campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, President Donald Trump said Audi — the German luxury brand owned by Volkswagen — would commit $4.2 billion in nearby Macon to begin construction on a plant that would produce 200,000 cars a year. “Think of that. 200,000 cars a year. That’s incredible,” he said. Trump credited what he described as aggressive and unpopular tariff policies for Audi’s decision to build the plant.

Trump was joined on stage by Gernot Döllner, the chairman of the board of management at Audi. Döllner said the plant would be producing “our biggest and most premium SUVs.” He said, “This is a long-term investment, because we believe in the American market.”

AP reported that Trump made the announcement as he tried to deliver on his promise to bolster American manufacturing in the final days before the midterm elections. The Perry campaign rally sought to boost Republican candidates.

AP described Georgia as a battleground state and said the announcement seemed timed to offer a last-minute boost to Republican candidates there. Rep. Mike Collins was among the candidates Trump sought to boost; Collins is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

AP reported that Trump spent October campaigning in reliably Republican states while the Republican Party tried to hold onto its majorities in the House and Senate. Trump won Georgia in 2024 after losing it in 2020.

AP also reported that Republicans were bracing for losses in the Nov. 3 midterms amid low popularity for the president, with voter frustration over high costs and the ongoing war in Iran.

At the rally, Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for Georgia governor, thanked Trump for the plans. “Thank you on behalf of Georgia for putting the biggest economic deal in Georgia history right here today,” he said.