Audi says it will build a $4 billion factory in Peach County, Georgia, finally giving the brand an American assembly line of its own. CleanTechnica notes that among premium carmakers, Audi has been the one holdout without a US plant. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Audi CEO Gernot Döllner announced it on Saturday, October 24.
What the plant will make is not settled, so don't read "EV factory" into it. Fox 5 Atlanta lists the vehicle models and propulsion systems as still unclear, though it says the plant will build premium SUVs for North American drivers, with room for about 200,000 vehicles a year. CarBuzz names the Q7, Q8 and Q9, but we haven't found Audi confirming that. Much of the drivetrain detail below comes from CleanTechnica's account of the announcement, not from a direct Audi statement to us, so treat the model and spec details as reported, not confirmed.
Plug-in hybrids lead the US plan
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner has been blunt about North America. In August he told reporters he expects "dominance in combustion engine and hybrid drivetrains" in the US for the next 10 to 15 years, even as China and Europe move to battery power. A month earlier he said Audi would "take first steps to bring plug-in hybrids to the US".
The first is reportedly the 630-horsepower RS 5, due late this year or early next. Reported electric range is around 50 miles (80 km) for that performance model and up to 80 miles (129 km) for regular hybrids. Audi of America President Vito Paladino confirmed more hybrids will follow but stayed vague on details, per Automotive News as relayed by CleanTechnica. Those range figures are reports, not Audi specs we have seen.
A long runway before any car rolls out
Site grading is slated for 2027, construction the year after, and commercial production in 2031. Yahoo Finance, carrying a Just Auto report, is looser, saying construction starts in 2027 and production in the early 2030s. That's a promise, not a finished plant, and five years is plenty of time for tariffs, demand and policy to shift.
Audi seems to know it. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's office said on October 24 that the factory will be built around "efficiency, flexibility, and the ability to respond to evolving customer needs and market demand". That sounds like room to change course, and which models Georgia will build is still unanswered.
CleanTechnica also says President Donald Trump made political use of the news. We haven't seen his remarks directly, so we're leaving them out.
Next to watch: whether Audi names a first Georgia model and whether the 2027 grading date holds. If you shop in this class, would a plug-in hybrid with a range near 70 miles be enough, or are you holding out for a full EV?
Sources
- 1.Wouldn't It Be Funny If Audi Manufactures EVs In The US? · CleanTechnica
- 2.Audi to invest $4B in Georgia for first US auto plant · FOX 5 Atlanta
- 3.Audi plans first US factory in Georgia with $4bn investment · Yahoo Finance (Just Auto)
- 4.Audi Will Build Its First US Production Facility In Georgia · CarBuzz
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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