Audi announces US plant - on Trump's election campaign tour

German car manufacturer in the USA Audi announces US factory - on Trump's election campaign tour As of: October 25, 2026 • 4:04 p.m

Trump repeatedly threatens foreign companies with high tariffs. Audi has now announced the construction of its first plant in the USA. The US President was also able to use it to advertise himself at a campaign event.

Audi has announced the construction of a plant in the USA - in the middle of Donald Trump's election campaign event. During his speech in the state of Georgia, the US President initially promised his supporters that the car manufacturer wanted to build 200,000 SUVs a year there. He then called Audi boss Gernot Döllner onto the stage. Döllner thanked Trump for his support.

The appearance comes at a remarkable time: there are less than ten days until the midterms. On November 3rd there will be a vote on the seats in the House of Representatives and some of the seats in the Senate. Trump's Republican Party wants to defend its razor-thin majorities in both chambers of the US Congress.

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Since the beginning of his second term in office, Trump has repeatedly called on foreign companies to relocate their production to the USA. He offered such companies a tariff waiver. Trump wants to stimulate the domestic economy and create industrial jobs.

There were further details about the work in an Audi announcement. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027. For the first time, the brand is planning its own factory in the USA. Around 4,500 jobs are to be created and around four billion US dollars (around 3.6 billion euros) are to be invested. Production is scheduled to start in the early 2030s. The factory will build premium SUVs that are specifically tailored to the requirements of North American customers.

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IG Metall was generally positive about the plans, but also combined this with a warning. “It is right and necessary to better develop the US market through a new plant,” said First Chairwoman Christiane Benner. “However, binding perspectives for employees at all locations, especially at local locations, must be clearly defined and recorded.”

The board of directors has a debt to pay. Benner also pointed out that the final decision on a possible new factory building in the USA was subject to committee approval. "The final vote will be taken with a holistic view - correctly and importantly, in the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG." Audi is a subsidiary of VW.

Prime Minister Olaf Lies, who sits on the VW supervisory board as a representative of the state of Lower Saxony, said that more production in the USA would be an opportunity if the plants and employees in Germany also benefited from it. “Growth in America must secure work and value creation here and must not displace them,” the SPD politician made clear.

The SPD traffic expert Isabel Cademartori was much harsher. While workers in Germany were trembling about the future of their jobs, Audi announced billions in investments with Trump. She spoke of campaign help for an autocrat. "This is a shame, especially considering the history of the VW Group." She didn't explain the connection any further. Volkswagen was founded during the Nazi era and served as a model company for Hitler's regime.

This topic in the program: NDR Info | News | 10/25/26 | 07:00 a.m. Tagesschau24 | News | 10/25/26 | 9:00 a.m