Could Volkswagen be in Chattanooga's Future?

[Hankster]

According to a report in Auto Motor and Sport magazine over the weekend, Volkswagen's management board is set to decide July 8 on the site of its new U.S. production site.

Report

[flith]

According to Metal Bullitien Ltd. Huntsville will get the plant and Chattanooga may get the engine plant as a runner up.

[Hankster]

According to Metal Bullitien Ltd. Huntsville will get the plant and Chattanooga mayl get the engine plant as a runner up.

Personally, I'd be quite happy with that, if that's what happens.

[Hankster]

According to a publication in Germany, Alabama will land this plant. I guess the best we can hope for is the engine plant.

[TRoberts]

According to a publication in Germany, Alabama will land this plant. I guess the best we can hope for is the engine plant.

I still think Chattanooga is more in the running than you guys think you are. From everything I've read, yes, Alabama is going to land the VW plant and that is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

What a lot of people don't realize is that Audi is looking to build an American assembly plant as well and will be scouting locations. Audi is owned by VW and much of their products have some overlap in the parts and such. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Chattanooga is in the running to land the Audi assembly plant a couple years after VW starts manufacturing or even before. They would work off the synergies of having two plants so close together and the mass of associated business that would come to the entire north Alabama and southcentral Tennessee area.

Take a look at central Alabama... Hyundai opened their new plant in Montgomery in 2003 (I believe) and now just to the east of Montgomery in Georgia is a new Kia assembly plant (Kia being owned by Hyundai).

The Huntsville-Chattanooga connection with Highway 72 and CSX raillines is a great advantage to the two sites together. Chattanooga may even have the coup de grace of landing BOTH the engine plant in the near term and the Audi manufacturing plant in the long run.

I think anyway around it, it's a positive for both states.

[Hankster]

I still think Chattanooga is more in the running than you guys think you are. From everything I've read, yes, Alabama is going to land the VW plant and that is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

What a lot of people don't realize is that Audi is looking to build an American assembly plant as well and will be scouting locations. Audi is owned by VW and much of their products have some overlap in the parts and such. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Chattanooga is in the running to land the Audi assembly plant a couple years after VW starts manufacturing or even before. They would work off the synergies of having two plants so close together and the mass of associated business that would come to the entire north Alabama and southcentral Tennessee area.

Take a look at central Alabama... Hyundai opened their new plant in Montgomery in 2003 (I believe) and now just to the east of Montgomery in Georgia is a new Kia assembly plant (Kia being owned by Hyundai).

The Huntsville-Chattanooga connection with Highway 72 and CSX raillines is a great advantage to the two sites together. Chattanooga may even have the coup de grace of landing BOTH the engine plant in the near term and the Audi manufacturing plant in the long run.

I think anyway around it, it's a positive for both states.

Thanks for your kind words. I think VW/Audi would do well to have dual assembly plants in North Alabama and Chattanooga. That would be an efficient and powerful manufacturing platform from which to grow. Still, I'd rather be in the frontrunner's shoes for the VW plant which is coming first. As people say, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Kudo's to Alabama should you indeed land the plant.

[TRoberts]

Thanks for your kind words. I think VW/Audi would do well to have dual assembly plants in North Alabama and Chattanooga. That would be an efficient and powerful manufacturing platform from which to grow. Still, I'd rather be in the frontrunner's shoes for the VW plant which is coming first. As people say, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Kudo's to Alabama should you indeed land the plant.

Just remember, most news sources are putting Chattanooga as the frontrunner for the engine plant... Which means that if Chattanooga ultimately got the Audi plant as well, they'd be doing better overall than Alabama with just the VW plant.

Just because you don't finish first doesn't mean you don't come out in the lead in the long run...

[flith]

Just remember, most news sources are putting Chattanooga as the frontrunner for the engine plant... Which means that if Chattanooga ultimately got the Audi plant as well, they'd be doing better overall than Alabama with just the VW plant.

Just because you don't finish first doesn't mean you don't come out in the lead in the long run...

A while back I had read that the new VW plant may be a joint venture between VW/Audi and maybe Porsche. It would seem logical that the engine plant would be a separate site. However, the rapid decline in the dollar seems to have changed things quite a bit... We'll see.

[flith]

In the TimesFreePress today they mention that the plant may build Jettas, an all new Passat size vehicle, Tiguan, and the Audi Q5 (source Automobilwoche). Tennessee is a close second and Michigan is out of the running.

Volkswagen AG says it will probably announce a decision on its plans for a new U.S. plant after a supervisory board meeting July 15. The managements recommendation will be today.

An www.al.com an article mentions that Tennessee's incentives package is larger than Alabama's and that has caught many officials by suprise. Both packages were finalized and sent to VW's site-selection consultant last Thursday. The same source also stated last week that the AL site could meet VW construction time line while TN could not.

[flith]

The decision has been delayed until next Tuesday. It seems that the TN offer is more competitive than initially thought.

[Southron]

Southern Business & Development is echoing what was mentioned earlier, reporting that VW officials recommended the Limestone County site for the assembly plant and the Chattanooga site for what is believed to be the engine plant. The recommendations are to be voted on by the VW board on July 15th.

This would be a nice win for both states.

Sources Say Both Alabama and Tennessee in Volkswagen Plans

[TRoberts]

The decision has been delayed until next Tuesday. It seems that the TN offer is more competitive than initially thought.

Southern Business & Development is reporting that VW officials recommended the Limestone County site for the assembly plant and the Chattanooga site for what is believed to be the engine plant.

Sources Say Both Alabama and Tennessee in Volkswagen Plans

[dcw01]

The decision has been delayed until next Tuesday. It seems that the TN offer is more competitive than initially thought.

I am glad to see the plant coming somewhere...did you know a site was considered in south carolina?

However, Dorchester County officials did not have their act together in time. It would have made a great site giving dual ports, dual rail companies and available interstate access to the eastern usa.

This site was located in an eco-friendly and urban friendly area. Maybe another auto maker will look there.

Can't wait to see where it lands....BMW was good for south carolina...I know VW/Audi will be a great asset and economic boost wherever it lands.....

[Hankster]

This would be a great project for Chattanooga. The engine and drive train facility would probably employ close to 1,000 people and be close to a $1 Billion investment. Congratulations are also in order to Northern Alabama if they do indeed land the big prize of the assembly plant. Both plants would be located very close to one another, and that means that additional parts supplying plants in this area are a strong possibility. On top of that, it has been widely reported that VW will more than likely also build an Audi assembly plant. The Enterprise South site is so huge that it could actually support both the engine plant and an Audi assembly plant. Wouldn't that be amazing. Word is an official announcement should be forthcoming in about a week. I can't wait to hear the details. It looks like we've finally landed something big at Enterprise South!!!

[dcw01]

This would be a great project for Chattanooga. The engine and drive train facility would probably employ close to 1,000 people and be close to a $1 Billion investment. Congratulations are also in order to Northern Alabama if they do indeed land the big prize of the assembly plant. Both plants would be located very close to one another, and that means that additional parts supplying plants in this area are a strong possibility. On top of that, it has been widely reported that VW will more than likely also build an Audi assembly plant. The Enterprise South site is so huge that it could actually support both the engine plant and an Audi assembly plant. Wouldn't that be amazing. Word is an official announcement should be forthcoming in about a week. I can't wait to hear the details. It looks like we've finally landed something big at Enterprise South!!!

Is the Enterprise South site shovel ready? Please describe how this site looks.

[flith]

This would be a great project for Chattanooga. The engine and drive train facility would probably employ close to 1,000 people and be close to a $1 Billion investment. Congratulations are also in order to Northern Alabama if they do indeed land the big prize of the assembly plant. Both plants would be located very close to one another, and that means that additional parts supplying plants in this area are a strong possibility. On top of that, it has been widely reported that VW will more than likely also build an Audi assembly plant. The Enterprise South site is so huge that it could actually support both the engine plant and an Audi assembly plant. Wouldn't that be amazing. Word is an official announcement should be forthcoming in about a week. I can't wait to hear the details. It looks like we've finally landed something big at Enterprise South!!!

That would be great but I can't see them putting to facilities like that. They would gain more political clout spreading them across districts. That's Toyota plan anyway.

[Hankster]

Is the Enterprise South site shovel ready? Please describe how this site looks.

Here's how it looked about a week ago. The state has approved additional funding to grade the site out even more. By the time VW could design and mobilize construction, I would think the site would be shovel ready.

[flith]

The Times Free Press had these tidbits of information today.

The German newspaper Handelsblatt reports that VW “fluctuated between the U.S. states of Alabama and Tennessee”, during last weeks meeting. It also states the the initial investment would be $1 billion, and that $500 million would spent on other unnamed projects to be clarified on later.

On July 2, Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber and four other people flew by state plane to Chattanooga and picked up two more people, then flew to Dulles International Airport in Virginia, according to state records and Flightaware.com, a commercial airplane tracking service.

The work continues on Enterprise South, currently 4 streams are being relocated (US Army previously moved them to current positions), and .39 acres of wetland mitigated. Local officials have stated that it could meet VWs construction timeline.

An interesting article from Southern Auto Corridor. It's an update on "trusted sources" and rumors. It states that the rumored trip of Alabama's governor to Germany may be bad news for AL, because when Mercedes made its decision the winning state's governor didn't make the trip. Don't you just love the speculation?

While every tiny detail is getting analyzed it can be said that Chattanooga economy performs better in times of national downturn.

[HSVTiger]

Well the Governor will be in Europe anyway, so the Germany part may just be rumor, but if in the neighorhood stop in and say hi or shake hands.

http://www.al.com/business/huntsvilletimes....xml&coll=1

[Hankster]

The Times Free Press had these tidbits of information today.

The German newspaper Handelsblatt reports that VW

[TRoberts]

I have to be quite proud of how the State has campaigned for this plant on Chattanooga's behalf. Kudos to all. I feel confident both sites in Alabama and Tennessee will get plants. The big question still is where will the assembly plant go. I'm still thinking Alabama, but Tennessee is fighting hard and evidently has a real chance to land it.

The latest news puts Huntsville before Chattanooga...

Huntsville before Chattanooga

Huntsville is favored over Chattanooga as a site for a Volkswagen auto assembly plant, a German automotive publication reported today.

[Hankster]

The latest news puts Huntsville before Chattanooga...

Huntsville before Chattanooga

Huntsville is favored over Chattanooga as a site for a Volkswagen auto assembly plant, a German automotive publication reported today.

I've yet to see a single report yet that stated otherwise during this whole process, yet VW still has not made an official announcement. I'll be quite happy if Enterprise South is awarded the engine and drive train facility.

[TRoberts]

I've yet to see a single report yet that stated otherwise during this whole process, yet VW still has not made an official announcement. I'll be quite happy if Enterprise South is awarded the engine and drive train facility.

Leftlanenews.com is reporting today that Audi will announce their intention on a new manufacturing facility by Spring. They may or may not build in conjunction with VW in the same plant or build their own plant.

I still think if Huntsville is announced the winner of VW that there is a distinct possibility that by Spring Chattanooga will be announced for the Audi plant; assuming Audi does choose to build it's own facility and not share VW's.

[flith]

Initial reports state that Chattanooga's Enterprise South will get the VW plant, according to Bloomberg news!!!! It states that Chattanooga won because of better infrastructure and more attractive tax incentives/breaks.

:yahoo:

Production for 2011

Gov Bredesen has cleared his schedule for today, Hamilton County and Chattanooga to hold press conference this afternoon.

[HSVTiger]

Congrats to Chattanooga, hopefully VW will build an Audi plant in HSV.