Audio clip
Stefan Jacoby
Volkswagen’s new midsize sedan to be made in Chattanooga will offer American car buyers a European design and performance as the automaker seeks to win over the market, a top official says.
Stefan Jacoby, VW Group of America’s chief executive officer, also said it plans to sell a lot of its “clean diesel” vehicles in the United States, with the Chattanooga plant producing up to 30 percent of them.
Mr. Jacoby said it will take time to win over Americans to diesel cars, but he noted the vehicles have a higher residual value.
“The economy will rebound, and we will be ready,” he said about the $1 billion auto assembly plant being built at Enterprise South industrial park.
The factory is slated to open in early 2011 and employ about 2,000 workers, according to VW.
WORLD AUTO SALES
First quarter 2009
■ Toyota: 1.76 million
■ GM: 1.61 million
■ VW: 1.4 million
■ Nissan/Renault: 1.27 million
■ Ford: 973,000
Source: automakers
Jochem Heizmann, the German company’s board member in charge of worldwide production, said the automaker believes there is a promising future for VW in Chattanooga and the United States.
“We are moving forward,” he said. “Business will come back. Volkswagen needs to be ready. We have big plans in the U.S.”
The company is aiming to triple sales to 1 million units in the United States by 2018, and the Chattanooga facility is a key element in the plan.
“VW will be a good neighbor and a reliable partner,” Dr. Heizmann said.
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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 ...
