Audi defends plans for a $4 billion Georgia plant amid VW restructuring, tariffs

* Audi CEO defends $4B Georgia plant as growth and tariff hedge * Plant is first U.S. factory, production slated for early 2030s * Move follows VW restructuring, follows Mercedes and BMW Audi CEO Gernot Dollner defended the luxury brand's planned $4 billion Georgia plant, calling it a strategic move to boost U.S. sales and cut tariff costs. The factory, Audi's first in the United States, will build Q7, Q8 and Q9 SUVs from the early 2030s with capacity of 200,000 vehicles a year, half for export. The decision follows Volkswagen's restructuring and mirrors earlier U.S. plants by Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Last year, U.S. tariffs cost Audi ?1.2 billion; the plant aims to localize production and expand market share in the world's second-largest premium market.