Audi could build plant in US to placate Trump

BERLIN: Volkswagen’s premium brand Audi could build a plant at a new location in the United States under scenarios being considered to placate President Donald Trump in the tariff conflict, the Spiegel news magazine reported on Friday.

Audi is considering building a plant in the southern US, which would be the more expensive option out of a number of scenarios being considered, with company sources estimating costs of up to 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion), the report said.

An Audi spokesperson said that the company aims to build up more of a presence in the United States.

“We are currently examining various scenarios for this. We are confident that we will make a decision this year in consultation with the (Volkswagen) group on how this will look in concrete terms,” she said in an emailed statement, reaffirming earlier comments made by the company.

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Audi has no production of its own in the US, but Volkswagen has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee and one under construction near Columbia, South Carolina.

Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs has already racked up hundreds of millions of euros in costs for German carmakers heavily reliant on their export business, according to an industry representative.

BMW BMWG.DE, Mercedes-Benz MBGn.DE and Volkswagen are in talks with Washington over a possible import tariff deal, seeking to use their US investments and exports as leverage to soften any blow, sources have told Reuters.