VW plant is inaugurated

Posted: Monday, May 30, 2011 6:01 pm

Inauguration ceremonies were held last week for the new Volkswagen Group plant in Chattanooga.
The ceremonies were attended by top Volkswagen officials as well as state and federal officials, including Gov. Bill Haslam and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
More than 2,000 employees will produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year at the Chattanooga plant, which  sets new standards in terms of sustainable, resource-efficient production.
“The Volkswagen Group has finally arrived as a local manufacturer in the United States. We are proud to be part of this great automobile nation as a producer, an employer and as a friend and good neighbor to people in the region,” Dr. Klaus Scharioth, German Ambassador to the United States, stated in a news release.
Since construction started in 2009, an automobile plant including body shop, paint shop, assembly facility, technical testing center, an employee training academy and a supplier park with eight companies has been built on a 1,400-acre site in Chattanooga.
Volkswagen is investing about $1 billion in the development of the Chattanooga facility, which will be among the world’s most advanced and environmentally compatible automobile plants.

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