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Chattanooga-made Volkswagen Atlas
Volkswagen hopes it will hit the American car buyer’s sweet spot with its new Atlas sport utility vehicle.
After all, the car maker needs a win after spending the last year answering questions about its emissions cheating scandal, the largest auto scandal settlement in U.S. history and one that will cost the company $14.7 billion.
In the wake of the impropriety, which involved 600,000 vehicles in the U.S., American sales of the brand fell 12.5 percent in the first nine months of this year.
But now the soon-to-be-made-in-Chattanooga Atlas, named after the Greek Titan who was condemned to hold up the heavens, has arrived to at least help hold up the manufacturer.
The model is expected to be assembled at the expanded plant here beginning in December and hit the market in the spring. The seven-passenger SUV was unveiled at the pier in Santa Monica, Calif., Thursday.