Audi CEO Gernot Döllner is facing criticism from senior European labor figures after appearing on stage with Donald Trump at a Republican campaign event in Georgia, where Audi’s $4 billion plan for its first U.S. production site was announced.

Döllner joined Trump at the event in Perry, near Macon, just days before Americans were due to vote in midterm elections. The appearance drew condemnation from Daniela Cavallo, head of Volkswagen’s works council, who objected to an Audi executive participating in a political rally.

Speaking to interviewers, according to comments reported by Der Spiegel, Cavallo accused Döllner of becoming an active participant in Trump’s campaign event. She also criticized Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume, arguing that he had allowed himself to be used in what she described as political propaganda.

Labor leaders call appearance unacceptable

Christiane Benner, head of the IG Metall union, also criticized Döllner’s presence alongside Trump. Her comments described the appearance as politically unacceptable and embarrassing.

The backlash comes as Audi prepares to establish its first vehicle production facility in the United States. The company has said it will invest $4 billion in the site, which is expected to create approximately 4,500 jobs.

Audi’s first U.S. plant

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, while production is not expected to start until the early 2030s. The facility is intended to build premium SUVs for the North American market, including the Q7, Q8 and Q9, with annual capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles.

Until the plant becomes operational, Audi’s larger SUVs for the United States and Canada will continue to be built in Europe and exported across the Atlantic. Audi currently builds the Q5 in Mexico, but the source notes that the company remains among the European automakers without a U.S. production site.

The investment is also being viewed in the context of tariffs affecting vehicles imported into the United States. The source characterizes those tariffs as a factor pushing Audi toward domestic production, while Volkswagen is simultaneously reducing its workforce and closing plants in Germany. That combination has raised concern among unions about production moving away from the company’s home market.

Audi is not the only European automaker without a U.S. factory exploring ways to produce vehicles locally. Jaguar Land Rover has reached an agreement with Stellantis that will allow North American-focused Defender models to be built and sold in the region.