American-Made
To seriously compete in the enormous American market, automakers needed to provide buyers with the right models, the right specifications, and the right price. The only issue is that, because of the unique geography of the U.S., shipping cars isn’t so easy, which raises prices, not to mention that import tariffs between countries also vary.
To stay competitive in the U.S., foreign automakers, including big brands like Volkswagen, had to invest heavily in production plants a decade and a half ago.
15 Years at Chattanooga
Volkswagen America is celebrating 15 years of production in America at the Chattanooga plant, which officially opened in May 2011. It all started for them with the production of a single model, the Passat, which eventually grew into a cornerstone of the brand’s North American production strategy and a major source of pride for the Chattanooga community.
According to VW, over the past 15 years, the facility in Chattanooga has produced around 1.85 million vehicles. It has also spent $4.3 billion on operations while employing 4,000 workers. Currently, the plant produces the VW Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, which account for 30% of Volkswagen’s 2025 sales. This has given the Chattanooga plant a special place in VW’s American ambitions…