Audi plans to build its first U.S. factory near Macon. Better yet, the Audi Georgia plant would turn out the brand’s biggest SUVs. Audi says the site will create about 4,500 jobs. Construction is due to start in 2027, and production would follow in the early 2030s.
The news broke on Saturday, October 24, 2026, in Perry, a short drive south of Macon. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner joined President Donald Trump on stage for the announcement. A day later, the Volkswagen Group put out its own statement, datelined Ingolstadt and Perry.
That statement carries one big condition. The plan needs a final yes from Volkswagen’s governing bodies. So for now, the factory is a firm intention rather than a done deal. Below is what Audi has said and what it hasn’t. We also look at why the move matters for a brand that builds none of its U.S. cars in America.
What the Audi Georgia plant would build
The Volkswagen Group’s release describes a greenfield factory for premium SUVs developed for North American buyers. It gives a capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles a year. It also puts the investment at about $4 billion. However, the Associated Press and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution both reported the figure as $4.2 billion.
On stage, Döllner said the plant would produce “our biggest and most premium SUVs,” according to the AP report. He also called it “a long-term investment, because we believe in the American market.” However, Audi’s release names only one model, and only in a photo caption. That model is the new Q9, which Audi says it tailored to American customers.
Reuters went a step further. According to a U.S. official quoted by the agency, the plant would assemble the Q7, Q8 and Q9. Audi itself has not published that list, so treat it as a strong hint rather than a confirmed lineup.
Where the Middle Georgia Megasite sits
The land sits on the eastern edge of Fort Valley in Peach County, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It lies about 5 miles west of Interstate 75, on the north side of Georgia 96. The state bought about 1,100 acres there in mid-2022 with the Development Authority of Peach County. Later, it named the property the Middle Georgia Megasite.
State officials told the paper the site can grow to about 2,400 acres. Earlier this year, Bibb, Houston and Peach counties each pledged $7 million to market the land. That money also helps bring the site up to industry standards. In addition, state officials told the AJC they expect at least 4,500 workers once the plant reaches full build-out.
Georgia already has a busy car-building map. For example, the AJC lists Hyundai’s EV plant near Savannah and a Kia plant in West Georgia. It also names a Rivian factory about an hour east of Atlanta. Closer to home, Blue Bird is putting up a $300 million plant in Fort Valley that the paper says will add 375 jobs.
Gov. Brian Kemp also welcomed the news in Audi’s release. “We are proud to welcome one of the world’s most iconic automotive brands to Georgia,” he said.
Why Audi wants to build SUVs in America
Audi imports every vehicle it sells in the U.S. from Europe or Mexico, Reuters reported. That arrangement has turned expensive. Reuters says U.S. tariffs cost Audi €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) last year. Meanwhile, the brand’s U.S. sales are down 16% this year.
The Volkswagen Group frames the plant as a way to cut trade and currency risk. Its release calls the U.S. the world’s second-largest premium market and says Audi isn’t tapping its full potential there. North America would become the third pillar of Audi’s production network, alongside Europe and China. Döllner put it plainly in the release: “We have much greater ambitions for Audi in America.”
Gerd Walker, Audi’s board member for production and logistics, sees a chance to start with a blank sheet. “Building a new plant from the ground up allows us to rethink manufacturing from day one,” Walker said. That matters, because a new site lets Audi plan every line around its SUVs. Otherwise, it would have to fit them into an older factory.
Georgia is not Audi’s only American production plan, either. According to Reuters, Audi also plans to build 25,000 vehicles a year in South Carolina. They would come from Scout Motors’ $2 billion plant, now under construction in Blythewood. Some of those vehicles would go overseas as exports.
What has to happen before the first SUV rolls out
Nothing is final yet. Volkswagen’s release says the decision remains subject to approval by the relevant committees. Reuters adds that the VW supervisory board makes the final investment decision.
German labor will have a say, too. Christiane Benner heads the IG Metall union and serves as deputy chair of VW’s supervisory board. Reuters reports that she supports the U.S. plant but wants firm job prospects for German workers. Similarly, Lower Saxony premier Olaf Lies said U.S. growth must not displace German jobs. His state is VW’s second-largest shareholder.
That tension is real. Reuters notes that Audi’s Neckarsulm plant is one of four German VW plants that could close after 2030. In our view, the vote will hinge on one thing. Audi has to show German workers that Georgia adds to the business instead of replacing it.
If the boards sign off, Audi has a schedule ready. Its release puts the start of construction in 2027 and the first SUVs in the early 2030s. They would come from a megasite that state officials say can more than double from its original 1,100 acres.
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