Audi CEO Gernot Döllner faced sharp criticism on Monday for appearing at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Georgia, where he announced a $4 billion Audi plant.
At the Saturday event in Perry, Trump revealed plans for an Audi factory on the Middle Georgia Mega Site, producing 200,000 SUVs annually. Döllner then joined Trump on stage, thanking him for support. Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with production starting in the early 2030s, creating 4,500 jobs .
IG Metall chair Christiane Benner called Döllner’s appearance “highly embarrassing, politically unacceptable, and unworthy of the company and its employees.” She said he had “flagrantly” violated Audi’s rule requiring political neutrality before elections .
Volkswagen Group works council chair Daniela Cavallo said Trump’s speech contained “minutes of racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, and contempt for democracy,” adding that Döllner’s participation amounted to “active campaign assistance.” She stated that Döllner had violated internal guidelines banning public events with election candidates in the three months before a vote. The US midterms are on November 3 .
Cavallo also criticized the entire VW board, including CEO Oliver Blume, for allowing the company to be used in what she called Trump’s “propaganda show.” She noted that comparisons to Volkswagen’s Nazi-era history were already being drawn .
Döllner defended his appearance, saying he had accepted an invitation from the US president. Audi’s code of conduct, signed by Döllner earlier this year, explicitly prohibits public engagements with election candidates in the final three months before a vote .
The works council has not yet approved the US plant. Cavallo said any new factory would require clarity on its impact on existing sites, particularly in Germany .
