Volkswagen's Chattanooga Plant Open For Business

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Yesterday, Volkswagen finally inaugurated its new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee and ended the 23 year hiatus since its New Stanton, Pennsylvania factory was closed in 1988. At the Chattanooga plant, more than 2,000 employees will be able to produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year.

According to a Volkswagen statement, “the manufacturing depth for the Passat produced here will be at 85 percent” – meaning that 85 percent of the car will be produced at the plant itself. This is an unusually high number, especially considering that the statement goes on to say that “10,000 additional jobs will be created in the U.S. component supply industry.”

Volkswagen reiterates that it wants to boost “Group sales in the United States to more than a million vehicles per year by 2018 at the same time as winning a market share of about six percent for the Volkswagen Group.” To reach that lofty goal will need more than a new plant.


Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Kita Ikki Kita Ikki on May 25, 2011

    The new Passat 2.5L inline-5 is a rebirth of the 1976-1982 pre-aero Audi 100 with the engine turned sideways ... They even look somewhat alike.

  • Brettc Brettc on May 25, 2011

    The new Passat is a nice looking car, except for the fake wood and the chrome strips. But I guess it's nothing that a can of black spray paint and masking tape couldn't fix. It'll be interesting to watch and see how the quality on this model is. After VW's Pennsylvania experiment, I wouldn't buy one of these in the first year. And the lack of a wagon sucks too. It's unfortunate that they dropped the Passat wagon and are just offering an Americanized sedan with your choice of thirsty gas engines or a TDI that unfortunately requires urea. But at least DEF/urea is available at Walmart now. And at least the non-urea requiring Golf TDI wagon is still available.

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    • Catbert430 Catbert430 on May 25, 2011

      @jmo The road test on autoblog.com calls it 'copious amounts for faux wood-grain trim'. Insideline.com says that the wood isn't overly fake-looking and later, calls it polished wood. I'm not sure whether this implies that it's wood or plastic. I had a B5.5 Passat with real wood trim that has so much lacquer on it that it looked like plastic.

  • Robbie Robbie on May 25, 2011

    One of the points of buying a VW is that you get the European look and feel of the interior, which is just different and some people like better. Doesn't building VWs in Tennessee with American parts simply create a car that feels like a Ford then?

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    • Robbie Robbie on May 25, 2011

      @threeer There is a reason BMW is building SUV/hybrid thingies in Spartanburg, and not the 3 or 5 class.

  • Blowfish Blowfish on May 25, 2011

    But at least DEF/urea is available at Walmart now Wonder how expensive are they? Or something like check the gas just fill up the urea! I heard of the Mercs' Urea is a dealer installed item? The jug is 100 another 50 to fill it. Just a different guy who does that, probably the same guy who suck out the porta toilets. When RR switch to Mineral oil for their brakes, hydraulic system, they also made it into a dealer item!

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