The Volkswagen meetinghouse in Chattanooga is a key U. S. hub for the automaker and is offensive to electric vehicles, according to the company.
The automaker, at a senior officials presentation Thursday in Germany, showed Chattanooga’s production that will build the BATTERY-based ID. 4 SUV until 2022 as one of the main pillars of the production of the world’s first electric vehicle in the world of VW crossover.
By the end of 2025, some of a million ID. 4 SUVs are expected to leave Chattanooga’s meeting lines, as are VW plants in Germany and China, the company said.
Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstatter and Electric Mobility Board member Thomas Ulbrich described the compact SUV as “revolutionary” in the company’s vehicle efforts.
Next Wednesday, the German manufacturer will publicize the international ID. 4 at an event.
VW officials on Thursday described the electric SUV as the first vehicle of its kind for the volume market, leading to a strong expansion in crossovers. Already, one in 3 cars sold through the Volkswagen Group, which includes the VW and Audi logo, Porsche. and others, it’s an SUV.
“SUVs are the most popular vehicle in the United States and China,” the presentation said. “Market stocks in Europe and Germany are also expanding [and] demand for specific compact SUVs is booming. “
By 2022, VW will have five international plants to manufacture ID. 4. Last year, the company introduced an expansion of $800 million from the Chattanooga plant for the production of electric vehicles, and is the VW plant in North and South America that is expected to manufacture the electric vehicle. vehicle until 2022.
Tom du Plessis, managing director of VW’s Chattanooga operations, said this summer that expansion is “in plan” to expand the existing frame shop and build a new construction where the battery meeting will take place.
While production of the Passat sedán and Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs was stopped at the plant for about two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the structure was stopped in the expansion project, the company said.
Volkswagen plans to rent about 150 production workers in Chattanooga until the end of the year, as it meets the meeting call for its existing cars and is about to build an electric SUV.
“Our purpose is to increase at least 10 jobs per week for the rest of the year,” du Plessis said. In addition, contractor VW Aerotek has announced plans to hire 175 employees.
Currently, the automaker has 3,800 in Chattanooga.
Volkswagen said that with ID. 4, its efforts to bring electric mobility to the developing SUV market will also fight climate change.
“ID. 4 brings climate-neutral mobility to the SUV segment,” according to VW.
Also on Thursday, the car manufacturer revealed the call for a new compact SUV that Volkswagen designed in particular for the North American market, calling it Taos.
The name of the SUV, which will be indexed just below the Tiguan crossover, represents the city of Taos, New Mexico, said Hein Schafer, senior vice president of marketing and product strategy at Volkswagen of America.
“It’s a small town that offers wonderful things, from adventures to art and design and smart food,” he said in a statement.
Car and Driver said the Taos resembles its older brother, the Tiguan, built in Mexico.
Contact Mike Stop at mpare@timesfreepress. com. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.