On a Saturday in Perry, Georgia, at a rally in the final stretch before the midterms, President Trump announced that Audi will build a $4.2 billion auto plant in nearby Macon, a facility meant to produce 200,000 cars a year and employ about 4,500 people. The news arrives in a season when a political party braces for difficult results and looks for tangible proof that its promises about industry and work can take physical form. Yet the cars themselves are years away, with construction slated for 2027 and production in the early 2030s, so the story is as much about a future still being built as
Trump Says Audi Will Build $4.2 Billion Plant in Georgia, Crediting Tariffs at Campaign Rally
Construction begins in 2027; the first cars arrive in the early 2030s.
Mark
So what was actually announced in Perry?
Mimi
Trump said Audi will put $4.2 billion into a plant in Macon, building 200,000 cars a year. Audi's chairman, Gernot Döllner, was on stage with him.
Mark
And the jobs?
Mimi
Audi's own release says about 4,500, with construction starting in 2027 and production in the early 2030s.
Luke
Worth noting those dates. Nobody is building cars before the election, and production is years beyond it.
Mark
Trump credited tariffs. Is that the reason?
Luke
That's his claim. Döllner said the company believes in the American market and called it a long-term investment. He didn't, in what we have, say tariffs drove the decision.
Mimi
The timing is hard to miss, though. Republicans are bracing for losses on Nov. 3, with anger over costs and the war in Iran.
Mark
Rick Jackson called it the biggest deal in Georgia history.
Luke
That's a candidate's line at a rally. We don't have independent comparisons, and we haven't seen incentive details.
Mimi
Those details are what to watch next.
Der Puls
- A president steps onto a campaign stage just days before the midterms to claim a $4.2 billion factory win.
- The credit for the decision rests on tariffs, a policy many voters find unpopular, sharpening the political debate.
- Audi's chairman appears alongside Trump to describe a plant building the company's largest premium SUVs.
- The first cars are years away, with construction starting in 2027 and production in the early 2030s.
- Officials have not yet detailed the incentives or financing, so the true shape of the deal is still forming.
On a Saturday in Perry, Georgia, at a rally in the final stretch before the midterms, President Trump announced that Audi will build a $4.2 billion auto plant in nearby Macon, a facility meant to produce 200,000 cars a year and employ about 4,500 people. The news arrives in a season when a political party braces for difficult results and looks for tangible proof that its promises about industry and work can take physical form. Yet the cars themselves are years away, with construction slated for 2027 and production in the early 2030s, so the story is as much about a future still being built as about a present achievement. How much of the decision belongs to tariffs, and how much to Audi's long view of the American market, remains a question the announcement leaves open.
On Saturday, at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, President Donald Trump told the crowd that Audi will build a plant in the state. The announcement came in the closing days before the midterm elections, as he works to show voters that his promises about American manufacturing are being kept.
Trump said Audi, which Volkswagen owns, will commit $4.2 billion to a factory in nearby Macon capable of producing 200,000 cars a year. He credited his tariff policies for the decision, though those policies remain unpopular. Gernot Döllner, Audi's chairman of the board of management, joined him on stage and said the plant would build the company's largest and most premium SUVs, a long-term bet on the American market.
Audi's own release adds that this will be its first Georgia plant and will create roughly 4,500 jobs. Construction begins in 2027, with production in the early 2030s, meaning the first vehicles will arrive well after the election.
Republicans face likely losses in November, amid anger over costs and the war in Iran, so a large investment gives them a concrete economic story. Rick Jackson, the party's candidate for governor, thanked Trump for what he called the biggest economic deal in Georgia history.
The details so far come from the rally and Audi's release. No state or local incentives have been disclosed, and the link between tariffs and the decision is Trump's own account. What comes next is whether Audi, Volkswagen, or Georgia officials spell out the financing and timeline as construction approaches.
On Saturday, at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, President Donald Trump told the crowd that Audi will build an automobile plant in the state. The announcement came in the closing stretch before the midterm elections, as he tries to show he is delivering on his promise to strengthen American manufacturing.
Trump said the German luxury brand, which Volkswagen owns, will commit $4.2 billion in nearby Macon to begin construction on a factory that will produce 200,000 cars a year. "Think of that. 200,000 cars a year. That's incredible," he said. He credited his tariff policies, which he has pursued aggressively and which remain unpopular, for the company's decision.
Gernot Döllner, the chairman of the board of management at Audi, joined Trump on stage. He said the plant would build the company's biggest and most premium SUVs. He described the project as a long-term investment, made because the company believes in the American market.
Audi put out a news release with more detail. It says this will be its first plant in Georgia and that it will create approximately 4,500 jobs. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with production starting in the early 2030s. That means the first cars are years away, well beyond the election.
The political backdrop matters to how the announcement landed. Republicans are bracing for losses in the Nov. 3 midterms. They face an unpopular president and an electorate that is angry about high costs and the ongoing war in Iran. A large investment in a Georgia county gives the party a concrete economic story to tell in the last days of the campaign.
Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for Georgia governor, spoke at the rally and 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.
The account so far comes from the rally and from Audi's own release. The source material does not detail any state or local incentives, and the link between the tariffs and Audi's decision is Trump's characterization. What to watch next is whether Audi, Volkswagen, or Georgia officials lay out the financing, incentives, and timeline in more detail as the 2027 construction start approaches.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
This is a long-term investment, because we believe in the American market.— Gernot Döllner, chairman of the board of management, Audi
Thank you on behalf of Georgia for putting the biggest economic deal in Georgia history right here today.— Rick Jackson, Republican candidate for Georgia governor
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