Charmed by the potential of the US market (potential that has always been there, but never properly exploited by Volkswagen), the group is now said to be considering establishing a production hub in the States for its second best-selling brand, Audi.
The rumor about the first Audi plant in the US was started by CEO Martin Winterkorn, who told The Wall Street Journal that a factory for the four-ringed brand there would significantly boost the brand's sales.
However, the decision about erecting a new facility has not been made, with the thumbs up or down expected to be given by the group's management within a year. To build or not to build is for now a vicious circle: an Audi plant will definitely boost sales, but it is not justified unless Audi manages to sell more without the plant there.
Chasing Toyota for the number one spot in the global automotive industry, Volkswagen already announced it counts on the US to generate 1 million sales by 2018. That's about triple the size of the current volume. The growth is expected to be heavily sustained by the new Chattanooga facility, a project that can easily be called Volkswagen's biggest gamble on the American market ever. One that has to pay off really soon.
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