Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam today lauded Volkswagen for bringing more jobs to its Chattanooga plant and said the state stands ready to offer incentives to woo an even bigger VW presence.
Haslam said that if Volkswagen adds another production line, or should Audi decide to build a plant in Chattanooga, “we’d love to have that.”
The governor said the incentives could come in the form of grants for infrastructure and training and credits for hiring professional workers. Chattanooga has already set aside land in the Enterprise South Industrial Park for another auto plant.
Volkswagen announced today it will create 800 more jobs at its assembly plant by the end of 2012. That will push the company’s staff in Chattanooga to 3,500 and raise the plant’s production annual production capacity to 170,000 vehicles.
Volkswagen’s $1 billion assembly plant in Chattanooga began commercial production of its Passat a year ago. The car was named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2012.
Read more in tomorrow’s Times Free Press
Mike Pare, the deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has worked at the paper for 27 years. In addition to editing, Mike also writes Business stories and covers Volkswagen, economic development and manufacturing in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. In the past he also has covered higher education. Mike, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University. he worked at the Rome News-Tribune before ...
