123 replies to this topic

[Hankster]

I read today that Volkswagon plans to announce no later than June whether or not they will build an assembly plant in the US.  With the cheap dollar and the soaring Euro, I would be shocked if they said no.  Could this be theProject Pinetree that been rumored for quite some time?  If VW does announce they will build a plant here, I'm sure Chattanooga will try extra hard to land it.  The Toyota project showcased to the auto world more than ever that Enterprise South is one of the best sites in the nation for an auto plant.  Let's hope we get another chance.

[Rural King]

I hope so!!!

The Enterprise South site should be a strong contender out of the gate since the State of Tennessee and the City of Chattanooga has had quite a bit of experience and success with creating attractive marketing and incentive packages for the site.

[ATLBrain]

Chattanooga also has something lots of other states can't just give away... water.  After this summer/fall that's no small consideration.  We've been reading (with more than a small dose of envy) about your 5.8 billion gallons of water running each day through town.

[Rural King]

^ Thats a very good point. Just a few months ago I doubt many people would have ever thought that water would be an asset for sites in the Southeastern United States. Weird how quickly things change.

[flith]

Hankster, on Nov 5 2007, 10:06 PM, said:

I read today that Volkswagon plans to announce no later than June whether or not they will build an assembly plant in the US.  With the cheap dollar and the soaring Euro, I would be shocked if they said no.  Could this be theProject Pinetree that been rumored for quite some time?  If VW does announce they will build a plant here, I'm sure Chattanooga will try extra hard to land it.  The Toyota project showcased to the auto world more than ever that Enterprise South is one of the best sites in the nation for an auto plant.  Let's hope we get another chance.

Southern Business and Development's summer 2007 issue states that VW/Audi visited South Carolina and Alabama.  So they are looking, again.  As I've mentioned many times Project Pinetree is still out there.

Winding Road (www.windingroad.com an excellent electronic car/driver magazine) also states the VW has reached 90% capacity in its existing production facilities.

Edited by flith, 08 November 2007 - 09:08 PM.

[flith]

Here is the latest from Autonews.com

VW wants a "big" plant open in US by 2011, they are believed to be considering sites of 1000 acres or more.

The Carolinas and Gerogia are in the lead.

     *NC has 2 sites, one is 1688 acres near Rocky Mount on I-95 (Short Drive to new N America HQ in Herndon, VA  Also puts them near other German Suppliers for BMW and Mercedes)

     *Anderson, SC is also being eyed.


No mention of Enterprise South

[Hankster]

flith, on Jan 14 2008, 11:10 AM, said:

Here is the latest from Autonews.com

VW wants a "big" plant open in US by 2011, they are believed to be considering sites of 1000 acres or more.

The Carolinas and Gerogia are in the lead.

     *NC has 2 sites, one is 1688 acres near Rocky Mount on I-95 (Short Drive to new N America HQ in Herndon, VA  Also puts them near other German Suppliers for BMW and Mercedes)

     *Anderson, SC is also being eyed.


No mention of Enterprise South

There was no mention of Tupelo, MS, the town which recently landed the Toyota plant ahead of Chattanooga and Marion, AR, until right before the decision was made.  Not being mentioned now just might be a good thing.

[Hankster]

Mayor Littlefield in his his state of the city address yesterday, predicted that a big announcement concerning the Enterprise South megasite would be made in the near future.  Mmmmm.  I wonder what that could be?  I'm not saying its VW, but the major did sound positive that some type of announcement would be forthcoming.

[smeagolsfree]

Lets hope it is VW. That would be huge for Chattanooga and TN.

[Hankster]

According to Motor Trend, Volkswagen's been making a lot of noise about its coming U.S. production plant lately, and the latest boast is that the factory will have an approximate vehicle output of 250,000 cars. VW expected to begin manufacturing both VW and Audi models beginning in 2010 or 2011, according to a recent report in Automotive News.

A location for the new American factory will reportedly be decided upon in June and will require roughly 1000 to 2000 employees.  Scheduled for its first production run will be a newly-developed Passat replacement utilizing the latest VW/Audi modular architecture.  This will definitely be a plum for the city that gets it.

Some speculation is that Anderson, SC is the frontrunner, with a site near Savannah, GA also in the running.  I remember that the final site selection for Toyota in Tupelo, MS came as a surprise to many and that site wasn't even mentioned as a likely choice until near the end.  We'll just have to see.  Hopefully, we'll start hearing Enterprise South as a possible candidate before too long.

[Tennesseestorm]

I would love to see something like this come to northeast Tennessee.  There are just no good jobs up here unless you are a doctor or attorney.  

[Hankster]

Tennesseestorm, on Apr 7 2008, 01:03 AM, said:

I would love to see something like this come to northeast Tennessee.  There are just no good jobs up here unless you are a doctor or attorney.  

I agree.  Upper East Tennessee would benefit greatly from a project like this.  The auto industry has invested heavily in the Knoxville industry.  Back in the 80's I worked at the Rogerville, TN (not too far from you) TRW steering gear plant that employed over 600 high paying jobs.  Have any of those investments found there way into your area of late?

[flith]

Hankster, on Mar 26 2008, 08:27 PM, said:

According to Motor Trend, Volkswagen's been making a lot of noise about its coming U.S. production plant lately, and the latest boast is that the factory will have an approximate vehicle output of 250,000 cars. VW expected to begin manufacturing both VW and Audi models beginning in 2010 or 2011, according to a recent report in Automotive News.

A location for the new American factory will reportedly be decided upon in June and will require roughly 1000 to 2000 employees.  Scheduled for its first production run will be a newly-developed Passat replacement utilizing the latest VW/Audi modular architecture.  This will definitely be a plum for the city that gets it.

Some speculation is that Anderson, SC is the frontrunner, with a site near Savannah, GA also in the running.  I remember that the final site selection for Toyota in Tupelo, MS came as a surprise to many and that site wasn't even mentioned as a likely choice until near the end.  We'll just have to see.  Hopefully, we'll start hearing Enterprise South as a possible candidate before too long.

The Winter 2008 issue of Southern Business & Development, mentions that VW has been seen visiting sites in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and most recently Texas.  

Seems an though they are really taking their time and shopping around.

[Hankster]

flith, on Apr 16 2008, 05:43 PM, said:

The Winter 2008 issue of Southern Business & Development, mentions that VW has been seen visiting sites in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and most recently Texas.  

Seems an though they are really taking their time and shopping around.

Wow!  That's what I call a wide geographical range.  Initially, it seemed all they were looking into was near the East Coast.  This seems to indicate they really are interested in areas farther inland.  I consider this news positive for Chattanooga.

[Rural King]

Volkswagen has announced it has narrowed down it's site list for its next US assembly plants to three states according to the Jackson Sun. Those states are Tennessee, Alabama, and Michigan. No word on which site in Tennessee might be in the running, of course Enterpise South would probably be the most likely contender, with either mega-site in West Tennessee also being options. Clarksville has a mega-site as well I believe, but I never hear it mentioned as a contender for auto assembly plants, or hardly at all for that matter.

I would have to wager that Tennessee and Alabama are the top contenders off the list due to lower operating costs, right to work laws, and other business friendly aspects. Michigan might suprise us though if they offer the right incentives to VW.

[flith]

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has an article also.  The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce and State Economic Officials so far have declined to comment.

[Hankster]

flith, on Apr 24 2008, 12:02 PM, said:

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has an article also.  The Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce and State Economic Officials so far have declined to comment.

The rumors are rampant the the Tennessee site being considered is indeed Enterprise South.  Earlier, all the speculation was for a plant near the Atlantic coast.  Now, it looks like none of those sites are being considered at all.  I hope the wait won't be too long, and here we go again.  I can't help but remember that the mayor stated in his state of the city address that a big announcement concerning Enterprise South would be coming soon.  I wondered if it could be VW then.  Now, I have to be wondering even more.

Edited by Hankster, 24 April 2008 - 05:02 PM.

[flith]

Several Automotive business analysts (Southern Business & Development among them) state that TN is the favored state, and that Enterprise South is probably the most favored site in TN, because of labor availability.  However, they state that Alabama will be tough competition, German suppliers are already there for Mercedes.  Almost everyone says that Michigan is a long shot, because of the labor unions but maybe the right company could come in and shake things up, not to mention the VW headquarters just left MI.

Edited by flith, 26 April 2008 - 08:18 AM.

[Rural King]

Just read in the Clarksville thread that the Tennessean is reporting that Clarksville mega-site is also being looked at along with Chattanooga, although Chattanooga is the favored site. The Stanton site according to the Haywood County mayor is not in the running, and there was not mention of the West Tennessee Auto Site in Crockett County - so whether or not it is potentially in the mix is unclear, but it appears they are looking for sites with a more eastward transportation orientation.

[Hankster]

Rural King, on Apr 27 2008, 03:14 PM, said:

Just read in the Clarksville thread that the Tennessean is reporting that Clarksville mega-site is also being looked at along with Chattanooga, although Chattanooga is the favored site. The Stanton site according to the Haywood County mayor is not in the running, and there was not mention of the West Tennessee Auto Site in Crockett County - so whether or not it is potentially in the mix is unclear, but it appears they are looking for sites with a more eastward transportation orientation.

Thanks for the info.  I'm sure that all the sites in Tennessee mentioned above are great sites for automobile assembly plants.  The thing I think may be most important is the availability of labor and training.  Chattanooga is easily the largest population center being considered and has taken significant steps in setting up training programs with area universities.  The Chattanooga site has been in the running for automotive assembly projects for several years, and has time to correct some of the shortcomings that have been pointed out earlier.  Chattanooga, I believe, has paid their dues and is ready this time.  Of course, I hope Chattanooga is selected, but would love to see Clarksville site chosen if Chattanooga is not.