Audi hasn’t even broken ground on its newly announced $4 billion plans for a 1500-acre factory in Macon, Georgia, but the German automaker is already hinted at an additional $3 billion investment in the facility.
A new report from Reuters claims that Audi is already considering a second phase of construction at the Georgia plant. After pledging to invest an initial $4 billion, documents released by the Mid-Georgia Gateway Development Authority reportedly state that Audi will invest $3 billion more by 2033. Audi supposedly aims to employ an additional 3000 workers as part of the expansion plan.
The Trump Administration allegedly promised Audi some degree of tariff relief as part of the decision to build its first U.S. production facility; Reuters reported that Audi pushed for the European Union import duty to be lowered to 7.5 percent, but that the U.S. Commerce Department was expected to agree to around 10 percent. Currently, Audi imports all of its models to the U.S. from Europe and Mexico, and models from the EU are subject to a 15 percent tariff. Audi paid $1.4 billion in duties to the U.S. government last year.
Georgia is heavily incentivizing Audi’s decision to build in the Peach State: it is giving Audi the land, as well as providing $458 million in tax incentives and offering $120 million in grants. These grants will focus on infrastructure, rail improvements, environmental site remediation, and construction, according to Automotive News. The company will also be provided an additional $430 million in subsidies for water, road improvements, utility issues, workforce training, and recruitment.
Audi plans to produce its Q7, Q8, and Q9 SUVs at its future U.S. facilities. The German automaker isn’t limiting its U.S. production plans to Georgia, either: an additional 25,000 Audi units will reportedly be produced at an incoming Scout Motors factory in South Carolina. Audi pledged to build 200,000 vehicles annually at the Georgia plant by the early 2030s.
A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.
