Trump Announces Audi Will Build New Auto Plant in Georgia at Campaign Rally

President Donald Trump announced at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, on Saturday that Audi will build an automobile plant in the state, as he tries to show progress on his pledge to boost American manufacturing in the final days before the midterm elections. A government official told Reuters the plant would assemble 200,000 SUVs a year, expected to include the Q7, Q8 and Q9, with some vehicles exported. The official said Audi would also announce 25,000 vehicles in South Carolina, at the $2 billion Scout Motors plant under construction in Blythewood. Reuters' headline put the Georgia investment at $4 billion. Audi, a Volkswagen division that imports all its cars from Europe or Mexico, has been hit hard by U.S. tariffs. Audi declined to comment, and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters. Georgia has competitive Senate and governor races. Critics say Trump's auto tariffs have raised vehicle prices, and his cuts to electric vehicle incentives have reduced U.S. EV and battery production. Overall U.S. vehicle and parts employment has fallen since he took office.

Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing; left-leaning and alternative/independent outlets had. The left-leaning New York Times, the only left source here, attributes the announcement to Trump in its headline and leads with Audi's exposure to tariffs, noting it imports every car it sells from Europe or Mexico. Its excerpt omits plant size, jobs and the political setting. The alternative/independent outlets add detail: AP frames the news as a campaign pledge on manufacturing before the midterms, while Reuters, via Investing.com, supplies the figures, the South Carolina plan, and critics' views on tariffs, EVs and employment.