VW's new Passat is bigger and will start at less than $20,000. It will be built in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Volkswagen is making a $4 billion bet that building its new Passat in the U.S. will help the automaker drive its sales up to 800,000 per year in the U.S. market.
But it will also be a boost to the U.S. economy. VW’s Ulrich Hackenberg said as the drapes were pulled off of the Passat at the Detroit auto show, that the car will create 2,000 direct jobs at its new plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. In addition, a study shows that it will create 10,000 jobs at suppliers, he said.
News from the North American International Auto Show!
VW has said that the U.S. version of the Passat has a more spacious interior than the European version that was introduced at last year’s Paris Auto Show. The U.S. version.
(Click here to read more about the 2012 Passat).
Jonathan Browning, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America, said the Passat is a big part of VW’s plan to triple U.S. sales to 800,000 vehicles by 2018. The automaker expects the Passat to be the automaker’s second-best selling model after the Jetta, which rolled into dealerships last year.
“We believe this car will change the rules in the midsize segment,” Browning said.