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VW CEO: Volkswagen delivered on new Chattanooga plant, with Panorama photoChild actor in VW Super Bowl commercial helps in opening Chattanooga plant, with Panorama photoVader makes Chattanooga appearance
Luke Repass works Tuesday on a 2012 Passat after opening ceremonies for the $1 billion Volkswagen plant.
Staff Photo by Angela Lewis/Chattanooga Times Free PressPATH TO PRODUCTION* May 2008 – Enterprise South land is cleared to entice Volkswagen to consider Chattanooga site* July 15, 2008 – Volkswagen picks Chattanooga for its U.S. assembly plant from among 400 competing cities.* Feb. 3, 2009 – Construction begins on the $1 billion plant* May 14, 2009 – First wall erected at VW plant* Feb. 14, 2010 – First robots installed* June 17, 2010 – First car assembled for test drives* Sept. 30, 2010 – VW supplier park is opened in adjacent buildings* January 2011 – Volkswagen debuts Passat at Detroit Motor Show* April 18, 2011 – First customer car rolls off the line* May 24, 2011 – Grand opening of plantSource: Volkswagen of AmericaBY THE NUMBERS* 1,700 – Number of employees hired so far toward goal of at least 2,000* 1,016 – Number of Passat cars assembled so far* 150,000 – Initial annual vehicle production capacity of plant* $1 billion – Investment in Volkswagen assembly plant* 2.5 million – Square feet of footprint by the plant and related supplier park and facilities.Source: Volkswagen of America
Three years after workers began clearing a forest in an abandoned munitions plant, the Chattanooga site is home to America’s newest automotive plant, which officials said Tuesday is key to Volkswagen’s goal of global leadership.
Volkswagen’s top brass from Germany on Tuesday heralded the $1 billion transformation of the abandoned TNT site, which was used to make munitions to fight the Germans in World War II.
“Our Chattanooga factory is state of the art and is among the world’s most efficient and cleanest plants in the world,” said Michael Macht, Volkswagen’s board member in charge of production.