Audi will build its first US plant, in Georgia
Audi announced on October 25 that it will invest about $4 billion in a factory at the Middle Georgia Mega Site. The plant is planned for up to 200,000 vehicles a year and about 4,500 jobs. Construction starts in 2027 and production in the early 2030s. Audi says it will build premium SUVs for North American buyers but has not named the models; Reuters, cited by CarScoops, reports the Q7, Q8 and the new Q9.
Today every Audi sold in the US is built overseas, so all of them are subject to import tariffs. CarScoops reports that Audi paid about $1.4 billion in tariffs last year.
What it means for owners: nothing changes for several years. In the long run, US built Audi SUVs would avoid import tariffs, which could ease the pressure on their prices.
Interest now adds about $10,000 to a typical car purchase
In its weekly market summary on October 26, Cox Automotive chief economist Jeremy Robb wrote that the interest paid over the life of a typical new vehicle loan has risen 79% since 2019, to about $10,100. For a used vehicle it is up 96%, to about $10,900. Counting interest, the all in cost of a purchase is up 37% for new and 43% for used vehicles since 2019, while vehicle prices alone rose about 30%. Cox also noted that the average used car down payment has fallen to nearly zero.
Show the data
| Cost | Change since 2019, % |
|---|---|
| Interest, used vehicle loan | 96 |
| Interest, new vehicle loan | 79 |
| All in cost, used vehicle | 43 |
| All in cost, new vehicle | 37 |
What it means for owners: financing is now a large part of what a car really costs. A larger down payment or a shorter loan cuts the interest. Count it when you work out the true cost of owning a car.
Turo will list Teslas with Full Self-Driving
Starting October 28, US renters on Turo can filter for Teslas with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) active, Electrek reports. Turo checks each car’s FSD status through a direct link with Tesla, and says thousands of such cars are already listed. Eligible hosts get a free one month FSD trial; after that Tesla charges $99 a month.
What it means for owners: a cheap way to try FSD before paying for it. It is a Level 2 driver assistance system, so the driver is responsible at all times. Turo has not said who is liable if a renter crashes with FSD engaged, so read the rental terms first.
