Berliner Tageszeitung - German union slams Audi boss's appearance at Trump rally

Audi CEO Gernot Doellner appeared Saturday at a Republican campaign event in Georgia -- just days before crucial midterm elections -- during which Trump announced Audi would invest $4.2 billion to build its first US plant in the state.

Christiane Benner, president of Germany's powerful IG Metall union, said Doellner's appearance at the rally was "extremely embarrassing, politically unacceptable and not worthy of the company".

She accused Doellner in a statement of "flagrantly violating" Audi's commitment to political neutrality in the run-up to elections.

Audi, which is a unit of Volkswagen, said the Georgia project would create around 4,500 jobs. According to Trump, the plant in Macon will enable the production of 200,000 vehicles per year.

However Benner underlined that the investment in Georgia has not yet been signed off by all the relevant bodies within the Volkswagen group.

Benner said the final decision would "rightly and importantly" be taken by Volkswagen's supervisory board.

The Georgia announcement comes at a time when Volkswagen is launching a major cost-cutting and job-reduction programme in Germany.

Audi's plant in Neckarsulm, which employs some 15,000 people, is particularly at risk.

Jobs in Germany could also be lost if certain car models end up being produced at the future US plant.

Audi's German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz already operate major plants in the United States, in South Carolina and Alabama respectively.

D. Meier--BTZ