Audi is deepening its roots in the United States, planning to establish its first production site in the country. The German luxury brand is investing a whopping $4 billion in a new factory in Georgia, creating 4,500 jobs as part of a major expansion of its North American operations. Construction gets underway next year, and the plant will have an annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles.

The investment will give Audi a dedicated manufacturing base in the United States, allowing it to build vehicles closer to its customers instead of shipping them across the Atlantic. That should help the company avoid import tariffs on vehicles produced at the new facility, although locally sourced components and other trade-related costs will still matter. It's a significant change for a brand that has traditionally relied on imports to serve American buyers.

Audi hasn't officially named the models that will roll off the new assembly line, but it plans to build “premium SUVs tailored to North American customers.” We're likely looking at the next-generation Q7 and the first-ever Q9, both revealed earlier this year. These luxobarges will initially be shipped from the Bratislava plant in Slovakia before the new factory starts production in the early 2030s.

Since the Georgia plant won't be operational for at least five years, Audi will likely build facelifted versions of the Q7 and Q9 there. The company recently confirmed that the Q8 will live to see another generation , so the swoopy SUV could also get the “Made in USA” label.

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