Happy Monday! It's October 26, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift โ your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.
๐ The Core Development
In this morning's edition we're looking at Audi's new friend in Trump, and the possibility of a Volkswagen strike. We'll also look at Trump's desire for an end to his Canadian trade war, and Chery's plans to expand to North America.
Audi, like many automakers, is rethinking its approach to U.S. cars in the wake of Trump's tariffs. The company is looking to build its first U.S. factory, and it went right to the source for the announcement: Trump himself. From the Wall Street Journal :
๐ Background & Sector Context
Audi will build its first-ever U.S. factory in Macon, Ga., President Trump announced Saturday, marking the latest move by a global automaker to focus on American buyers as sales fall off elsewhere in the world.
"I'm thrilled to announce a massive auto manufacturing investment in the great state of Georgia by a fantastic company," Trump said at a midterm campaign rally in Perry, Ga.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Trump said the plant will produce 200,000 cars annually and that construction will begin next month.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Now, I'm no fancy-pants big-city political analyst, but is it a good idea to hitch your corporate wagon to a historically unpopular political figure who's staring down the barrel of a midterm rout that analysts say could rival the biggest blue waves in history? Is that a good association for a company to have? Do you want the guy with 34% approval to act as the face of your company?
Volkswagen recently decided to go back on its agreements with workers over wages, and the workers are unsurprisingly not super jazzed about this. The company is trying desperately to cut costs, but it does still need human people willing to do its labor for money โ if the money is no longer worth it, the labor won't happen. Thus, a strike threat. From Reuters :
