Volkswagen Chooses Chattanooga For Plant; Deal Means Jobs For Ga.

[Purveyor]

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle

Volkswagen Group of America Inc. will build its new vehicle manufacturing site in Chattanooga, Tenn., over a proposed North Alabama location, the German automaker announced Tuesday.

Volkswagen expects to draw employees from Georgia and Alabama. It is looking to triple its U.S. customer base in the next decade, according to a news release. It plans to sell 800,000 vehicles in the U.S. by 2018.

A site near Huntsville, Ala., was the other finalist for the Volkswagen plant that is projected to create 2,000 jobs and include a $1 billion investment.

The new plant will be 12 miles northeast of downtown Chattanooga on a 1,350-acre site owned by the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. The site is next to Interstate 75 and its initial production capacity will be 150,000 vehicles, including a new midsize sedan designed specifically for the North American market. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2011.

"Chattanooga is an excellent fit for the Volkswagen culture, having an exceptional quality of life and a long manufacturing tradition," Volkswagen Group of America CEO Stefan Jacoby said.

Read more: http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/07/14/daily25.html?jst=b_ln_hl

[Teaser]

1. german engineering my ass

VW has earned my enmity forever because of the shitty, in-the-shop-every-month Jetta I own.

[ingac70]

2. Aren't Jettas...

sold in the US made in Brazil?

As an owner of a VW Beetle I must tell you... it could be who you have working on it. I bought this beetle off my cousin who said it hadn't run right in years and the mechanic he had acted like he didn't know what he was talking about.

I took it to my mechanic and it was 4 teeth out on the timing, and had been for a long time. Runs like a dream now.

[bagimin]

3. Jettas and Beetles are made in Mexico

for U.S.
I believe Rabbits and Touregs, and Tiguans come from overseas.

[roody]

16. My 2004 Golf TDI was made in Brazil.

[CANDO]

4. I thought they produced nearly all of their North American cars in Mexico?

All except the Passat, which was made in Germany. I can't think of the town, but it was in Mexico.

[Jansen]

5. Everyone I've known with a bad VW had a Jetta.

Personally I've owned 3 golfs, 1 jetta, 1 new beetle, and a handful of older VW and I didn't have a single mechanical issue other than routine maintenance over the last 18 years. Which doesn't really make sense since, I believe that the golf, jetta, and beetle all share the same frame and power train. Out of the vehicles that I've seen go bad I can count 4 jettas owned by friends and co-workers. The difference between all of those vehicles and mine? I had an A2. All the bad ones seemed to be A3 models, which coincided with VW getting a little more mainstream in the mid-late 90s.

I'd buy another VW if I ever needed a car again, but I'd stay away from the jetta.

[Dawgs]

6. Every Jetta I've ever owned (at least five) have run great.

:)

[Jansen]

7. Obviously it's not the entire model line that's vulnerable to problems.

;)

I've never owned anything other than a VW but I've driven other brands and as a matter of taste, they're not for me. I've been a pedestrian/mass transit user since last December but if I were to get an auto it would be a VW for sure!

[Acadia Blue]

8. I believe those were made in Mexico. I had a Rabbit made in Germany

and it was a deisel and lasted for 400,000 miles..
Most of the cars made in Mexico were garbage

[WriteDown]

11. May not be the build location....

Build quality of diesel engines tend to be far superior to their gas counterparts. Much like an inline 6 is preferable to a V6.

[brooklynite]

9. Will they be allowing guns on the shop floor?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x180222

[dipsydoodle]

10. Pardon me

boy........... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00giGIsauiQ :rofl:

[Ian David]

12. ...

[BigDaddy44]

13. These will NOT be union jobs........

[lithiumbomb]

14. Mexico, Brazil, Germany (or elsewhere in europe)

For US spec Golfs, Jettas, New Beetle (with a few exceptions for the R32, Cabrio, other random models depending on year)
Mk5: Jetta - Mexico
Rabbit - Germany
Mk4: New Beetle - Mexico
Jetta - Mexico
Golf - Brazil
Mk3: Jetta - Mexico
Golf - Mexico

Everything else, Germany or eastern European plants, I believe.

[Kelvin Mace]

15. How big a bribe did Tennessee pay

to get the plant?