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Volkswagen Chattanooga ending Passat assembly in favor of SUVs, electrics

Contributed photo by Volkswagen / A 2020 Aurora Red Metallic Passat R-Line was the 1 millionth vehicle produced at Volkswagen's Chattanooga assembly plant.
Contributed photo by Volkswagen / A 2020 Aurora Red Metallic Passat R-Line was the 1 millionth vehicle produced at Volkswagen's Chattanooga assembly plant. Contributed photo by Volkswagen / A 2020 Aurora Red Metallic Passat R-Line was the 1 millionth vehicle produced at Volkswagen's Chattanooga assembly plant.

By Mike Pare 4 min read

Volkswagen Chattanooga, going all-in on SUV production and readying for an electric vehicle offensive, will cease assembly of the Passat sedan in Chattanooga this winter.

Passat production at the plant has hit more than 775,000 vehicles to date, having started more than a decade ago when the factory opened, according to the German automaker.

VW will focus on continuing to build its popular Atlas SUVs and its new electric ID.4 SUV next year, according to the company.

“With the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport in high demand and the North American production launch of the all-electric ID.4 SUV next year, our future in Chattanooga looks brighter than ever,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

Tom du Plessis, Volkswagen Chattanooga’s chief executive, said the sales trend is firmly in favor of SUV models, as indicated by the success of the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport.