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Audi’s first U.S. factory follows two-year Georgia recruitment campaign
Georgia officials pursued Audi for two years before the automaker announced a $4.2 billion plant planned for Middle Georgia. The project is expected to employ about 4,500 people by 2031, though final approval and preparations remain ahead.
Georgia’s effort to land Audi’s first U.S. manufacturing plant began with a cold call and grew into a two-year campaign involving state and local officials, overseas meetings and a pitch for a large industrial site in Peach County.
Audi announced plans for a $4.2 billion factory in Middle Georgia on Oct. 24, alongside President Donald Trump at a rally in Perry. The project is expected to create about 4,500 jobs by 2031. The company’s board still must give final approval, and officials said preparations are continuing.
Gov. Brian Kemp said he began pursuing Audi after reading that the German automaker was considering its first American plant. During a February 2025 trip to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, Kemp asked Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson to arrange a meeting with Audi executives.
Kemp and Wilson met Audi CEO Gernot Döllner and his leadership team in a small hotel conference room. They brought a presentation featuring a large industrial site in Peach County, but knew little about the company’s plans. Kemp later described the meeting as quiet and secretive.
The site was a major part of the pitch. Georgia had acquired about 2,400 acres in Peach County in 2022 for a proposed industrial development, the Middle Georgia Megasite. Officials said the property was prepared for large projects, with infrastructure and workforce capacity among the factors that could make it attractive to manufacturers.
Macon Mayor Lester Miller and officials from Macon-Bibb, Houston and Peach counties also took part in the effort. Wilson said sustained communication helped build trust with Audi, while local leaders emphasized the area’s transportation links, including Interstate 75 and proximity to Robins Air Force Base and the Middle Georgia Regional Airport.
Georgia’s established automotive industry was another selling point. Hyundai, Kia and Rivian have announced or developed major projects in the state, and officials said nearby suppliers could help support a new plant. Audi has said a factory in the United States could serve its broader supply-chain needs.
The company’s decision also comes amid U.S. trade and tariff changes that have affected automakers. Döllner said tariffs were not the sole reason Audi chose to build in Georgia, describing the decision as part of a longer-term business strategy. Kemp said the state’s recruitment effort would not have succeeded without the company’s interest in producing vehicles in the United States.
The project’s scale could have a substantial economic impact in Middle Georgia, but its benefits will depend on the jobs created, the training available to workers and the public support required to prepare the site. State officials said Audi is expected to use a training approach similar to programs at other manufacturing facilities in Georgia.