Dozens of new Passats made at the Chattanooga Volkswagen assembly plant are seen parked outside the plant recently.
Staff photo by John Rawlston/Chattanooga Times Free PressHundreds of new and used vehicles at Chattanooga area dealerships were damaged by hail in last week’s severe storms, ranging from small dings to broken windshields.
Volkswagen workers are checking hundreds of newly made Passats for hail damage at its Chattanooga assembly plant. The cars, both test vehicles and customer cars, were parked on the loading yard adjacent to the factory awaiting transport to dealers.
The National Weather Service recorded hail from 1 to 2 inches in diameter in Hamilton, Marion and Bradley counties and baseball-sized hail in Sullivan County in upper East Tennessee Wednesday, according to meteorology technician Loren Marz.
“Hail of an inch or more is considered severe and will put dents in most vehicles,” Marz said, adding the hailstorm was the worst in at least three years for this area.
In the Cleveland, Tenn., area, Rodney Bethune, new vehicle sales manager at Honda of Cleveland, put the number of damaged new or used vehicles on the lot at 150.