President Donald Trump announced at his October 24 rally in Perry, Georgia, that Audi will build one of the largest plants in the country, producing 200,000 cars a year, and he called it a brand new, gorgeous plant. Audi and Georgia officials confirmed the project, which is a roughly $4 billion investment in the company's first U.S. manufacturing facility at the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County, near Macon. The plant is expected to create about 4,500 jobs and build premium SUVs for North American customers, reportedly the Q7, Q8 and Q9. Site grading is expected to begin in 2027, with construction in 2028 and full production in 2031, and Audi CEO Gernot Döllner, who appeared at the rally, called it a long-term investment because the company believes in the American market.

Trump also said Audi is closing up in Mexico and Canada and moving to the United States, but the announcement coverage I found does not mention any plant closures there, and the company currently imports all the vehicles it sells in the U.S. Trump has pushed automakers to build in America with tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and parts, and those tariffs cost Audi about 1.2 billion euros last year. Georgia officials say the state was chosen for its supplier base, transport links and skilled workforce, and Trump's allies credit his trade policy for the decision. The announcement came just days before the November 3 midterm elections, so the big questions are how much of the move was driven by tariffs, what happens to Audi's other operations, and whether the promised jobs arrive on schedule given that full production is still years away.