VW Rewards Chatanooga By Investing $900 Million And Adding 2000 Workers In Bid To Double Sales

Production is slated to begin in late 2016 at the Chattanooga plant, Volkswagen’s sole U.S. assembly site, where it builds the Passat mid-sized sedan. Volkswagen will invest $900 million in the project and add about 2,000 jobs at the plant, CEO Martin Winterkorn said today in a press conference near the company’s headquarters here.

VW will also open a North American vehicle design and development center in Chattanooga to be staffed by about 200 engineers to better cater its vehicles to the North American market, Winterkorn said.


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leej - 7/14/2014 9:41:07 AM

+2 Boost

This is an interesting looking vehicle...I hope they modify the 'Camaro-esque' taillights though.

MattDarringer - 7/14/2014 10:28:09 AM

+1 Boost

This is wishful thinking on VW's part. The slowness to market of this crucial product is strike #1. Strike #2 will be VW's "Germany knows better than Americans what Americans want" attitude that no doubt went into this product. A 100% sales increase won't happen in 4 years and it most certainly will not happen without game-changing product. The Jetta wasn't that. The Passat wasn't that. The new Golf is dead wrong for the NA market if sales is the goal.

xjug1987a - 7/14/2014 11:38:15 AM

+2 Boost

I saw the Cross Blue at the NAIS and its nice, but as Matt states, the market is full of solid products which they're entering late, with a "me too". Perhaps to little too late? 800K sales in 4 yrs... doubt it...

MattDarringer - 7/14/2014 4:33:39 PM

+1 Boost

And VW isn't robust enough to sustain an American manufacturing presence at the rate they are going. The Passat has lost steam big time.