Just a few short days after the world debut of the all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat, members of the Chattanooga, TN community got their first look at the vehicle that they will be building for the U.S. in Volkswagen’s state-of-the-art new plant, right there in town. One might think that Chattanoogans would be somewhat biased toward VW, in part due to the thousands of new jobs to be created for the plant, but we think they were being honest with us when they said they liked what they saw. How could they not? Our new family member is a real beauty, with the technology, luxury and size you’d expect from a vehicle at least twice its approximately $20,000 starting price.
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen both checked out the Passat along with a contingent of around 1,500 community members. Reaction was mostly very positive, with attendees praising the new car’s styling, leg room and great trunk space.
We’re planning to build 150,000 Passat models a year in our new Chattanooga facility, so we expect that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to form your own opinion later this year when you start seeing them in dealer lots and on the street. We think you’ll end up feeling the same way as our new family in Tennessee.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jan/13/passat-shows-off-here/
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Having read that VW is refusing to hire anyone from North Georgia to work in it’s new plant in Tennessee I have to say that as someone who lives in Georgia I won’t be buying or recommending this car to anyone.
If you don’t like the jobs offered in your area… MOVE!
So you would rather by a product made in Korea, China, ect. than America just because you are hurt because Georgia didn’t get it? With the way things are we should just be glad it is in the US.
David, do you think if I moved from Atlanta to Chattanooga, they would consider hiring me?
David, I hear you, but think your strong sentiment may be a bit premature. True, the Hamilton County region has had a larger % of hires but I haven’t seen one mention of “refusal” in an of the press. NW will benefit as the region increases in good paying jobs and the support industry that will accommodate VW and the people it employs. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jan/22/chattanooga-officials-defend-vws-tennessee-first/
Peace.