Volkswagen made it official today that it will build its first production facility in the U.S. in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The company will build the plant in the Enterprise South Industrial Park, located 12 miles northeast of downtown Chattanooga. According to VW, initial production capacity for the $1 billion facility that will bring about 2,000 direct jobs to the area is anticipated to be 150,000 vehicles annually, including a new midsize sedan designed specifically for the North American market. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2011. -Continued
“The U.S. market is an important part of our volume strategy and we are now very resolutely accessing that market,” said Prof. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG.
“Volkswagen will be extremely active there. This plant represents a milestone in Volkswagen’s growth strategy. We will be selling 800,000 Volkswagens in the U.S. by 2018, and this new site will play a key role. This, along with our growth strategy, is a prerequisite for the economic success of the company in the dollar region. We look forward to establishing an important mainstay for ourselves when we become the biggest European carmaker there.”
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