Key Facts

• Audi plans to invest $4 billion in a factory near Macon, Georgia, and create 4,500 jobs.
• The factory would produce up to 200,000 SUVs a year; construction is planned to start next year, with production beginning in the 2030s.
• Döllner appeared on stage with Trump at a rally in Perry, Georgia, shortly before the U.S. midterm elections.
• Volkswagen works council head Daniela Cavallo criticized Döllner’s participation and said the company had become part of Trump’s political event.
• IG Metall leader Christiane Benner called the appearance politically unacceptable and said it breached Audi’s code of conduct on political neutrality before elections.
• Benner said the planned investment must be considered by Volkswagen’s supervisory board, where she serves as deputy chair.
• Volkswagen is weighing up to 100,000 job cuts and factory closures in Germany amid competition from Chinese carmakers, U.S. tariffs, and the costly shift to electric vehicles.
• Audi’s Neckarsulm plant, which employs 15,000 people, is among four Volkswagen sites threatened with closure from the early 2030s.