Audi faces German backlash after CEO joins Trump rally investment announcement

Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner is under fire in Germany after appearing alongside Donald Trump at a Republican campaign rally in Georgia, where the US president announced plans for the German luxury carmaker’s first American factory. Audi said on Monday that its delegation had been asked to present the project publicly with Trump and accepted the invitation “solely with Audi’s best interests in mind”. The company acknowledged, however, that the circumstances could have been understood as a political signal and said it took that perception seriously.

The proposed plant, near Macon, would represent an investment of about $4 billion and create roughly 4,500 jobs, according to reports from The Guardian and DW. Construction is expected to begin next year, with production of large premium SUVs planned for the early 2030s. The facility could eventually produce up to 200,000 vehicles annually.

Döllner described the project at Saturday’s rally as a long-term commitment to the US market. Audi said the investment was intended to strengthen its American business and was not a decision against Germany. The carmaker currently has no factory in the United States and says it is not profitable there, despite the market’s importance to premium manufacturers.

The move would also reduce Audi’s exposure to US tariffs on vehicles made abroad. DW reported that the company estimated the additional cost of tariffs at about €1.2 billion last year. Trump credited the 15% tariffs with prompting the investment, saying it would not have happened without them.

The appearance has drawn particularly sharp criticism from IG Metall, Germany’s powerful metalworkers’ union. Its leader, Christiane Benner, called the event deeply embarrassing and politically unacceptable, and said Döllner had breached Audi’s code of conduct. The code, published in April and signed by Döllner, bars public appearances with politicians or parties standing for election during the three months before a vote.

Daniela Cavallo, head of Volkswagen’s works council, said Döllner had become part of what she described as a propaganda event. Social Democratic transport spokesperson Isabel Cademartori called the appearance a disgrace and referred to Volkswagen’s origins under the Nazi regime. The German government declined to comment, describing the matter as a business decision.

Benner said the factory would still require approval from Volkswagen’s supervisory board, where she serves as deputy chair. She stressed that employee representatives wanted guarantees for German sites and a clear North American strategy. Those concerns come as Volkswagen considers cutting up to 100,000 jobs by 2030 and Audi’s Neckarsulm plant, which employs about 15,000 people, is among four German facilities reported to be at risk of closure.