Tennessee Plant to Build New Volkswagen SUV

Volkswagen recently announced that its new five-passenger sport-utility vehicle (SUV) will be built at its factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The new SUV will be a variant of the seven-passenger Atlas and will be designed for the American market.

"The Atlas has built strong momentum for Volkswagen in the SUV segment, and we are excited to grow our SUV portfolio with this new, Chattanooga-assembled, five-passenger SUV," said Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. "We are not only committed to this market, but we are committed to our U.S. manufacturing home in Chattanooga, Tennessee."

Volkswagen will invest approximately $340 million to bring the vehicle to market, in addition to nearly $900 million already invested to expand the plant for Atlas production. The five-passenger Atlas variant will mark the third Volkswagen model assembled at the Chattanooga factory, which also manufactures the Passat and the seven-passenger Atlas.

"During my time as governor, I’ve watched Volkswagen Chattanooga flourish from a single vehicle producer, starting with the Passat, into what it is today — a thriving U.S. manufacturing operation that can produce three models and counting," said Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. "We value Volkswagen as a committed partner whose investments in the state have not only created new jobs but have helped us build a skilled Tennessee workforce. I look forward to watching as VW continues to grow in Tennessee."

A concept version of the five-passenger SUV will be unveiled at the 2018 New York International Auto Show in April.

For more information, visit www.vw.com.