Volkswagen of America has marked the start of construction for its electric vehicle production facility. The Chattanooga site, where production begins in 2022, will be Volkswagen’s North American assembly base for electric vehicles.
Volkswagen began long-range EV production earlier this month in Zwickau, Germany, and will roll out assembly worldwide, including in Anting and Foshan in China in 2020 and in the German cities of Emden and Hanover by 2022. The Chattanooga site will be VW’s North-American hub for EV manufacturing.
Volkswagen’s investment of about $800 million in the Chattanooga facility will require the addition of about 1,000 jobs. The production version of the I.D. CROZZ will initially be assembled in Zwickau. Production of that vehicle is set to begin in Chattanooga in 2022.
The expansion of the plant includes a 564,000-square-foot addition to the body shop. Volkswagen will build both internal combustion engine vehicles as well as battery electric vehicles on the same assembly line.
Battery pack assembly
The company also intends to build a 198,000-square-foot plant for the assembly of battery packs for EVs at the Chattanooga site.
Hiring for the new assembly will begin in early 2020 and will continue as needed for ramping up production. Positions added for the expansion include supervisors, specialists and a variety of engineers specializing in electrical, software, mechanical, manufacturing, chemical and quality.
Volkswagen currently builds the midsize Atlas SUV and the Passat sedan in Chattanooga. A five-seat version of the Atlas, the Atlas Cross Sport, began production here in October. It goes on sale early next year.
Source: VW