Audi officially announced a $4 billion investment to build its first-ever assembly plant in the United States. The German automaker chose the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County, Georgia, for the future facility, which is expected to build roughly 200,000 SUVs per year.
Audi currently has no manufacturing or assembly plant in the United States. Up until this point, it is the only major German luxury automaker without a U.S. factory, unlike its main competitors. BMW builds X-branded SUVs in South Carolina, while Mercedes-Benz rolls out the GLE and GLE Coupe, the GLS, the Maybach GLS, the EQS, and EQS SUVs in Alabama.
The move, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump himself at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, represents a major strategic shift for Audi, which has been hit hard by import tariffs since it previously shipped all its vehicles sold in the American market from Europe and Mexico.
“We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs and produce them here in Macon, Georgia,” said Audi CEO Gernot Dollner, standing on the stage next to President Trump, who pledged to force automakers to relocate their production for the American market to the U.S.
Photo: Audi
The announcement comes just nine days before the November 3 midterm elections. Referred to as a $4.2 billion investment by President Trump, the upcoming Audi plant is expected to generate roughly 4,500 jobs for the Middle Georgia region, with thousands more expected via suppliers and logistics partners.
The plant should have an annual output of up to 200,000 vehicles. First and foremost, the facility will specialize in building Audi’s largest premium flagship SUVs, such as the Q7, Q8, and the recently unveiled Q9, tailored specifically for North American consumers.
Right now, Audi is building its high-riding models in Bratislava, Slovakia, where the Q7 and the Q8 see the light of day, the Q5 in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, the electric Q4 and Q6 e-tron in Ingolstadt, Zwickau, and Brussels, while the Q3 comes to life in Gyor, Hungary.
Construction is scheduled to begin sometime in 2027, with vehicle production officially kicking off in the early 2030s, Automotive News reports. With this move, Audi is trying to offset the effects of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Photo: Audi
According to Reuters, in 2025 alone, U.S. import tariffs cost Audi an estimated $1.4 billion. Establishing local manufacturing will shield Audi from trade volatility and will help its parent company, Volkswagen Group, extend its footprint in North America. The auto giant already has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is building the Scout Motors site in South Carolina.
In the meantime, Audi is in full swing to restructure its production in Europe and is struggling with sales figures in free fall in the United States. Audi sold 107,667 cars in the U.S. from January to September 2026, which is down 16% compared to the same period of 2025.
