Audi’s first US plant puts Georgia at the center of its American push
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Audi will build its first US manufacturing plant at the Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County, Georgia, investing about $4 billion and creating about 4500 jobs. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Audi CEO Gernot Döllner announced the project on Oct. 24.
The plant will build premium SUVs for North American customers, with annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. Audi expects to begin grading the site in 2027 and construction in 2028, with full production expected in 2031, according to the state.
On the same day, President Donald Trump revealed the plans at a campaign rally in nearby Perry, where Döllner joined him on stage. Trump put the investment at $4.2 billion and credited his tariff policies for the decision. The state’s figure is about $4 billion.
For a brand that has always relied on imports to supply US buyers, the move marks a significant change in how Audi intends to serve one of its most important markets.
Audi is betting on local production for the US market
Döllner framed the plant as a statement of intent. “We have much greater ambitions for Audi in America, and Georgia will play a central role in making them a reality,” he said in the state’s announcement.
At the rally, he said the plant would produce “our biggest and most premium SUVs” and called it “a long-term investment, because we believe in the American market.”
Audi has not confirmed which models the plant will build. The state says the facility will be designed around Audi’s future manufacturing requirements, with a focus on efficiency, flexibility, and the ability to respond to changing customer demand.
Until now, Audi has supplied US customers with vehicles built elsewhere, including in Europe and at its plant in Mexico. Building SUVs in Georgia would put a share of future production inside the market where those vehicles are sold, reducing exposure to import tariffs and long shipping routes.
Tariffs are part of the picture, but not the whole of it. Trump attributed the decision to his trade policies. Audi, for its part, cited speed to market, workforce, access to consumers, and proximity to an established automotive supply chain when explaining why it chose Georgia.
Georgia’s megasite strategy brings another automaker to the Southeast
Site readiness sat at the center of Georgia’s pitch. The state bought and improved the Middle Georgia Megasite, which the Development Authority of Peach County developed with the Mid-Georgia Gateway Joint Development Authority, a partnership of Houston, Macon-Bibb, and Peach counties. Industrial utilities are adjacent to the site, and due diligence reports have already been completed, which the state says will allow Audi to build on a rapid timeline.
Logistics also played a part. The site has access to Norfolk Southern Class I rail, and both the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick can be reached by rail in less than 5 hours. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is a 90-minute drive away.
Audi joins a region that has become one of the main centers of foreign automotive investment in the US. Georgia already hosts Kia and Hyundai assembly plants, while BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen, Audi’s parent company, build vehicles in neighboring states.
For suppliers, that concentration matters. A 200,000-vehicle plant will need parts, materials, logistics, and services, and companies already serving nearby automakers may be well placed to compete for that work. Competition for skilled workers could also grow as several large manufacturers draw on the same regional labor pool.
The state has a training plan in place. Georgia Quick Start will develop customized curricula and a dedicated training facility for Audi, and will work with Technical College System of Georgia campuses to begin instruction while that facility is built.
A 2031 production target makes the Audi plant a long-term bet
The timeline deserves a close reading. Trump’s rally remarks suggested work would begin quickly, but the state’s schedule runs across several years: site grading in 2027, construction in 2028, and full production in 2031. Audi’s own announcement describes production beginning in the early 2030s.
That gap matters. Full production is still around 5 years away, and the trade, tariff, and political conditions that helped shape the decision could look very different by then. Audi is betting that demand for premium SUVs in North America, and the case for building them locally, will hold through that period.
Several questions remain open. Audi has not said which models will be built in Georgia, how much of its US supply the plant will eventually cover, or whether its suppliers will follow with their own US investments. Rival premium brands that still rely on imports will be watching to see whether Audi’s move makes local production the expected standard for selling in the US.
Source:
Office of the Governor of Georgia
