Audi chief faces German backlash over Trump rally investment announcement
Gernot Döllner announced a $4bn Audi plant in Georgia at a Trump rally. German politicians and union leaders criticised the appearance.
The story in focus
The Guardian reports that Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner appeared with Donald Trump at a Georgia rally days before US midterm elections to announce a $4bn investment in a first US factory in Macon, creating 4,500 jobs. German politicians and union leaders criticised the appearance.
- Döllner announced the $4bn Macon, Georgia, plant alongside Trump at a rally in Perry.
- Audi plans 4,500 jobs, construction starting next year and production in the 2030s.
- VW works council head Daniela Cavallo and SPD MP Isabel Cademartori criticised the appearance.
- IG Metall chief Christiane Benner said the appearance breached the company's political-neutrality code.
- The German government declined to comment, calling it a business decision.
Announcement at rally
The Guardian reports that Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner appeared on stage with Donald Trump at a rally in Perry, near Macon, Georgia, days before US midterm elections. Döllner said Audi would spend $4bn on its first US factory, in Macon, producing up to 200,000 SUVs annually and creating 4,500 jobs.
According to The Guardian, Döllner said construction would start next year and car production would begin in the 2030s. Audi is the only premium carmaker without a US plant, leaving it exposed to Trump's 15% import tariffs, which the report says cost it an estimated €1.2bn last year.
German criticism
The Guardian reports that Daniela Cavallo, head of the Volkswagen works council, said in internal communications released to German media that Döllner's participation showed management had been turned into a puppet in a propaganda show. SPD transport spokesperson Isabel Cademartori called the actions a disgrace, citing the history of the Volkswagen Group.
IG Metall chief Christiane Benner called the appearance extremely embarrassing and politically unacceptable, accusing Döllner of a flagrant breach of the company's code of conduct requiring political neutrality before elections. Benner, deputy chair of VW's supervisory board, said a major investment like the Macon plant would require board approval.
Government response and context
A German government spokesperson declined to comment, calling it a business decision about where the company invests and where its chief executive appears, The Guardian reports.
The report notes that Volkswagen is seeking to cut as many as 100,000 jobs and close German plants, with Audi's Neckarsulm facility among four sites threatened with closure from early next decade.
What did Audi announce at the Georgia rally?
The Guardian reports Audi would spend $4bn on its first US factory, in Macon, Georgia, creating 4,500 jobs. Construction is planned to start next year, with production in the 2030s.
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