Volkswagen’s management favors Huntsville, Ala., as the site for its new U.S. car plant with Chattanooga the automaker’s second choice, the German publication Automobilwoche reported Friday.
Citing sources with direct contact to management board members, it said VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn and the carmaker’s head of production, Jochen Heizmann, are expected to make a final recommendation Monday.
VW’s supervisory board, similar to a board of directors, will make a decision on the plant site Tuesday, the publication said.
Hamilton County Commission Chairman Bill Hullander said he still is upbeat about Chattanooga landing the plant.
“I hope next week we’ll be holding up our heads proud we’ve got this,” he said.
Mark Drury, an assistant commissioner for Tennessee’s Economic and Community Development Department, had no comment.
Erich Merkle, vice president of forecasting for industry firm IRN Inc., said Alabama is aggressive in trying to secure new capital projects.
Also, he said, there is a supply network that has started to build around German automaker Mercedes’ assembly plant in Vance, Ala.
Earlier, VW said it had narrowed its search for a location for the plant to Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan.
Staff writer Andy Sher contributed to this story.
Mike Pare, the deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has worked at the paper for 27 years. In addition to editing, Mike also writes Business stories and covers Volkswagen, economic development and manufacturing in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. In the past he also has covered higher education. Mike, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University. he worked at the Rome News-Tribune before ...
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