200,000 cars a year planned at Georgia factory as Audi aligns with Trump, Jalopnik reports

Audi plans Georgia production

Audi is preparing to establish its first factory in the United States, choosing Macon, Georgia. President Donald Trump announced the project on Saturday at a campaign rally in Perry.

Trump said the facility would make 200,000 cars a year and that construction would start next month. The move comes as Audi and other automakers reconsider their U.S. strategies in response to tariffs and changing sales conditions.

Volkswagen faces strike threat

Volkswagen workers threatened to strike from January if the automaker does not reverse its cancellation of wage agreements by the end of next week, Reuters reported. The dispute intensified after the company ended nearly all wage deals with German workers last month.

The terminated agreements covered long-standing standards, including working hours and holiday pay. Volkswagen is planning to cut 100,000 jobs and may close as many as four plants in Germany amid Chinese competition, tariff costs and the expensive transition to electric vehicles.

U.S.-Canada trade tensions persist

Trump said he expected the trade dispute with Canada to end “pretty soon,” according to Automotive News. He also said Canada was “willing to give us anything at this moment.” The United States applies a 25% tariff to imported vehicles, including those made in Canada, though the duty applies only to non-U.S. content in qualifying vehicles under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S.-made vehicles and vehicle content, with exemptions for qualifying automakers.