PERRY, Ga. (AP) – President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Audi will build an auto plant in Georgia as it tries to fulfill its promise to strengthen U.S. manufacturing in the final days before the midterm elections.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, where he was seeking to promote Republican candidates, Trump said Audi — the German luxury brand owned by Volkswagen — would commit $4.2 billion to nearby Macon to begin construction of a factory that will produce 200,000 cars a year.
“Think about that. 200,000 cars a year. That’s incredible,” Trump said, attributing the company’s decision to build the plant to its aggressive and unpopular pricing policies.
The announcement seemed timely to offer a last-minute boost to Republican candidates in the battleground state, including Rep. Mike Collins, who is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Trump spent October campaigning in reliably Republican states as the party tries to maintain its majorities in the House and Senate. Trump won Georgia in 2024 after losing it in 2020.
Trump was joined on stage by Gernot Döllner, chairman of Audi’s board of directors, who said the factory would produce “our largest, most premium SUVs.”
“It’s a long-term investment because we believe in the American market,” he said.
Audi, in a press release, said the factory – the first in Georgia – would create about 4,500 jobs and construction is expected to begin in 2027, with production beginning in the early 2030s.
Republicans prepare to lose the November 3 midterm elections as they face a unpopular president and an electorate angry about high costs and the ongoing war in Iran.
During the gathering, Rick Jacksonthe Republican candidate for governor of Georgia, thanked Trump for these projects.
“Thank you on behalf of Georgia for concluding here today the largest economic deal in Georgia’s history,” he said.
___
Colvin reported from New York.
Gn headline
