Donald Trump has announced that Audi will invest $4.2 billion in a new plant near Macon, Georgia, with the German luxury carmaker expected to produce 200,000 vehicles a year.
The announcement was made at a campaign rally in Perry, where the US president was seeking support for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections.
Gernot Döllner, Audi’s chief executive and chairman of its board of management, joined Mr Trump on stage and said the factory would produce “our biggest and most premium SUVs”.
“This is a long-term investment, because we believe in the American market,” Mr Döllner said.
Audi said the Georgia plant would be its first in the state and would create approximately 4,500 jobs. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with production due to start in the early 2030s.
Mr Trump credited his tariff policies for Audi’s decision to build in the US, telling the crowd: “Think of that. 200,000 cars a year. That’s incredible.”
The timing of the announcement appeared intended to provide a boost to Republican candidates in Georgia, including Representative Mike Collins, who is seeking to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.
Mr Trump won Georgia in 2024 after losing the state in 2020. Republicans are facing possible losses in the 3 November midterm elections as they seek to retain their majorities in the House and Senate.
Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for Georgia governor, thanked the president at the rally, calling the project “the biggest economic deal in Georgia history”.
