Audi CEO criticized for joining President Trump at Georgia rally to announce $4 billion plant

Audi chief Gernot Doellner appeared alongside President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, to announce a planned $4 billion investment for a new SUV plant that would produce 200,000 vehicles a year. The project, which requires approval from Volkswagen’s supervisory board and German labour representatives, is intended to offset import tariffs that cost Audi about €1.2 billion last year.

Christiane Benner, head of the IG Metall union and deputy chair of Volkswagen’s supervisory board, said Doellner’s participation was a "flagrant breach of his own company’s rules, which expressly require political neutrality in the run-up to elections."

Audi said the delegation travelled to Georgia to advance negotiations and accepted the invitation "solely with Audi’s best interests in mind," adding that the company was taking the interpretation of political support seriously. A source familiar with the matter said the management board had granted an exception to the code of conduct, which normally prohibits public engagements with political parties or candidates within three months of an election.

Labour representative Daniela Cavallo expressed reservations, noting that while localizing production may make business sense, Doellner’s appearance turned him "into a puppet in the propaganda show" of the rally.

German automotive analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer compared Doellner to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has also appeared on stage with Trump. Lower Saxony premier Olaf Lies said a campaign rally was an inappropriate venue for announcing an investment of this magnitude and that the appearance caused consternation among employees.

The investment plan coincides with Volkswagen’s broader restructuring, which includes plans to cut around 100,000 jobs and reduce capacity at several German plants, including Audi’s Neckarsulm factory.