Wednesday, 1 February 2012 at 09:50, Reuters, Detroit
The plant currently employs 2,500 people, including 2,000 full-time VW workers. (REUTERS)
Volkswagen Group of America said on Tuesday it would add 200 jobs at its assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee to increase production by 13 per cent.
Expanding its workforce will allow VW to build 35 cars per hour at the plant compared with 31 cars per hour now. VW builds the Passat sedan at the Tennessee factory.
The plant, which opened last spring, currently employs 2,500 people, including 2,000 full-time VW workers and 500 contract employees. The factory operates on two shifts and will continue to do so with the additional workers.
The Chattanooga plant is an integral part of VW's plans to sell 1 million vehicles in the United States by 2018. In 2011, the company's US auto sales, including its luxury brand Audi, rose 23 per cent to about 444,200.
The Passat competes in the midsize sedan market, which is dominated by Toyota Motor Co's Camry. In December, VW sold 6,884 Passat sedans, a fifth of Camry sales of 33,506.
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