Photo: Volkswagen
Having already set in place the largest, most comprehensive and downright insane plan for electrification in the automotive industry, Volkswagen is slowly beginning to make good on the promises made over the past few years.
With funding for its electric goals approved last year, Volkswagen has begun taking the first steps toward becoming the largest producer of electric cars on the planet. This week, the Germans revealed the first location in the United States where they will assemble electric cars, the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee.
To make it ready to roll out electric cars based on the new MEB platform, Volkswagen announced on Tuesday a 700 million EUR ($800 million) investment in the plant. This expansion of production capacity, says the company, will create the need for an additional 1,000 new positions at the facility.
“The US is one of the most important locations for us and producing electric cars in Chattanooga is a key part of our growth strategy in North America,” said in a statement at the Detroit Auto Show the company’s CEO, Herbert Diess.
“Together with our ongoing investments and this increase in local production, we are strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth of the Volkswagen brand in the US."
According to the plans made public with the announcement, Volkswagen revealed that the first electric model it will be building in the U.S. is the ID Crozz. In its concept form, shown first at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show and later that same year in Frankfurt, the car is an electric crossover, part of the ID family of cars.
Aside for the expansion of the facility in the U.S., Volkswagen will expand or built another eight MEB-dedicated factories in Europe, North America, and China.
All are to produce enough cars to make VW one of the biggest players on the market, with a sales target of 1 million such cars per year, by 2025.
To make it ready to roll out electric cars based on the new MEB platform, Volkswagen announced on Tuesday a 700 million EUR ($800 million) investment in the plant. This expansion of production capacity, says the company, will create the need for an additional 1,000 new positions at the facility.
“The US is one of the most important locations for us and producing electric cars in Chattanooga is a key part of our growth strategy in North America,” said in a statement at the Detroit Auto Show the company’s CEO, Herbert Diess.
“Together with our ongoing investments and this increase in local production, we are strengthening the foundation for sustainable growth of the Volkswagen brand in the US."
According to the plans made public with the announcement, Volkswagen revealed that the first electric model it will be building in the U.S. is the ID Crozz. In its concept form, shown first at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show and later that same year in Frankfurt, the car is an electric crossover, part of the ID family of cars.
Aside for the expansion of the facility in the U.S., Volkswagen will expand or built another eight MEB-dedicated factories in Europe, North America, and China.
All are to produce enough cars to make VW one of the biggest players on the market, with a sales target of 1 million such cars per year, by 2025.
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