Volkswagen in talks to open Atlanta operations center

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

photo The VW logo is seen on the front of one of dozens of new Passats made at the Chattanooga Volkswagen assembly plant parked outside the plant.

German automaker Volkswagen is in talks to open an operations center with about 100 employees at the site of the former Ford plant in Hapeville, according to people with knowledge of the negotiations.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said a deal would boost redevelopment of the so-called "Aerotropolis" site just east of the Atlanta airport's runways, where Volkswagen's sports car unit, Porsche, already plans a new North American headquarters.

Porsche's plans call for a stylish office building that incorporates a test track on the lower level. The specific functions of a potential new Volkswagen office are not yet known.