Signatures and corporate approval
At a Wednesday morning press conference at the Peach County Commissioners' Office, officials said the project was not yet finalized. The briefing followed President Donald Trump's announcement at a Saturday night rally in Perry, where he appeared alongside Audi's CEO.
"I would say that's still a work in progress. There are some agreements that need to be signed. The local agreements have been signed," a commissioner said. On the timing of work, a commissioner added: "That timeline is dependent on everything getting signed. I think you could see immediate work, provided the documents get signed."
A separate corporate decision also remained outstanding as of Georgia Public Broadcasting's October 27 report: approval from Audi's Supervisory Board. The deal requires a two-thirds majority vote. The 20-member board includes seven Audi workers and three union members, among them the head of the union representing the company's German employees.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development outlined a longer-term schedule in its October 24 announcement. Audi expects grading to begin in 2027, followed by facility construction in 2028. Full production is expected in 2031, with annual capacity planned at 200,000 vehicles.
The site and production plans
Audi selected the roughly 1,500-acre Middle Georgia Megasite in Peach County. County Commission Chairman Roy Lewis placed the proposed facility about 1.5 miles east of Fort Valley on Highway 96. He cited nearby Interstate 75 and plans for a future four-lane highway as advantages of the location.
Rail connections also serve the property. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the site has access to Norfolk Southern Class I rail, with rail trips to both the Port of Savannah and the Port of Brunswick taking less than five hours.
Engineering News-Record reports that the plant is slated to build Audi's Q7, Q8 and Q9 premium SUVs for North American customers. Audi also plans to move some production from an existing Slovakian plant to Georgia, and approximately half of the Georgia facility's output will go to overseas markets.
The selection followed a roughly three-year search covering more than 70 locations, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told Engineering News-Record. Gov. Brian Kemp said he first approached Audi executives at the 2024 Munich Security Conference after learning that the company wanted a U.S. site, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Fort Valley's share and employment prospects
Lewis said every Peach County commissioner supports the project and that Fort Valley is participating as a partner. The city's revenue-sharing agreement provides for it to receive 5% of the payment in lieu of taxes, known as a PILOT. Such payments substitute for traditional property taxes in some economic development projects.
Commissioners described the plant as a potential source of economic opportunities for residents and students. Lewis noted Fort Valley's low homeownership rate and large proportion of rental properties when discussing how the community could benefit.
The anticipated jobs would pay an average annual salary of about $63,000, Kemp said at a Monday press conference covered by Georgia Public Broadcasting on October 27.
Lewis also emphasized access to those jobs for Fort Valley State University students. "We have Fort Valley State University, so we're also concerned about students being able to get those kinds of jobs with those good salaries we're looking at," he said.
The state's October 24 announcement calls for Georgia Quick Start to develop customized training curricula with Audi and design a dedicated training facility. While that facility is under construction, Quick Start will work with local Technical College System of Georgia campuses to begin employee instruction.
