VW Revving Up Passat Production

The VW has had a huge success since its beginnings, as wherever it was launched it made a good impression. Thus, Volkswagen of America is prepared to expand production of the U.S. Passat less than four months afterthe first one was manufactured. The company is now waiting for the proper moment to start the production boost.

"We've already taken steps to decide how we will do it. We've looked at the different shift models to do it. We have the planning all done. We just haven't pulled the trigger."Don Jackson, president of manufacturing at the Chattanooga was quoted as saying by autoweek.com.

The Chattanooga facility was constructed to build up to 150,000 vehicles a year and would make adjustments to increase the volume of units manufactured between 200,000 and 220,000 annually. The early optimism is significant for Volkaswagen, as its Passat hasn’t had a significant success in the U.S. market for almost a decade, creating a frustrating situation for the Germans.

Last year, consumers bought about 13,000 Passats, compared with more than 311,000 Honda Accords and more than 327,000 Toyota Camrys. The Chattanooga facility will manufacture 45,000 to 50,000 Passats by the end of the year. The facility also plans to export the Passat to South Korea. A notable fact is that is that the plant builds a different version of the Passat than the one which is sold in Europe and other markets. The Chattanooga facility was built with the intention of doubling its size to around 500,000 vehicles as it adds models.