Audi Chief Faces Backlash in Germany Over Appearance at Trump Rally

The head of Audi is facing criticism in Germany after appearing at a rally with Donald Trump just days before the US midterm elections. Gernot Döllner joined the US president on stage to announce billions of dollars in investment in Georgia, a battleground state.

At the rally on Saturday in Perry, near Macon, Döllner and Trump told the crowd that Audi would spend $4bn on its first factory in the United States, creating 4,500 jobs. The announcement came even as parent company Volkswagen aims to cut tens of thousands of positions and close plants in Germany.

"We are planning to bring our biggest and most premium SUVs, and produce them here in Macon, Georgia," Döllner said. He described the project as "a long-term investment because we believe in the American market." Factory construction is expected to begin next year, with car production starting in the 2030s. The plant would build 200,000 SUVs annually. It is an unusual move for a European executive during a hard-fought US campaign.

Daniela Cavallo, head of the Volkswagen works council, condemned the event in internal communications released to German media. She said Trump's speech was full of "racism, sexism, transphobia [and] contempt for democracy," and that anyone who heard it and then saw Döllner take an active part must "sink into the ground with shame." She added that the deal showed VW's management had allowed itself to be "turned into a puppet in the propaganda show of a highly dubious political figure."

Christiane Benner, head of the IG Metall trade union and deputy chair of VW's supervisory board, called the appearance "extremely embarrassing, politically unacceptable and unworthy of the company, but above all of Audi's employees." She accused Döllner of a "flagrant breach" of the company's code of conduct, which she said requires political neutrality ahead of elections. She also warned that a major investment such as the Macon plant would have to go before the supervisory board.

Isabel Cademartori, transport spokesperson for the Social Democrats, who are part of Germany's ruling coalition, called Döllner's actions a "disgrace." She said this was especially so "in view of the history of the Volkswagen Group," an apparent reference to the company's founding as a showcase enterprise under the Nazis. A German government spokesperson declined to comment, describing it as "a business decision regarding where the company invests and, in this case, where the company's chief executive appears."

Audi is the only premium carmaker without its own US factory, leaving it particularly exposed to Trump's 15% import tariffs, which cost it an estimated €1.2bn last year. Meanwhile, Volkswagen is locked in a dispute between management and labour over plans to cut as many as 100,000 jobs and close factories. The company blames intense competition from Chinese carmakers, US tariffs and the costly shift to electric vehicles. Audi's Neckarsulm plant, which employs 15,000 people, is among four VW plants threatened with closure from early next decade. A company spokesperson said: "Each site must do its part in terms of competitiveness and the long-term strength of Audi."

The political backdrop adds to the sensitivity. Trump is deeply unpopular in Germany and has angered its political mainstream by openly backing the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, which polls show is the country's most popular party and which has courted his support.

The 3 November election in Georgia could be decisive in the Democrats' effort to regain a Senate majority. Incumbent senator Jon Ossoff faces a tough re-election fight against Republican challenger Mike Collins in a state Trump won in 2024. Trump has argued ahead of the midterms that his tariffs on car imports are helping the US economy.