Volkswagen inaugurates its new American plant

Senior management of the North American division of the German giant has METHOD Monday the opening of their new factory in American soil.

A return that was very expected after 23 years of absence.

Volkswagen was the first foreign manufacturer to come assemble cars in the United States in 1978 and ten years later the rise in popularity of Japanese cars has forced the German to close its factory in Westmoreland and redirect its production to Mexico.

An ultra modern factory

The new complex is located at Volkswagen Chattanooga, Tennessee. He need investment of about 1 billion U.S. dollars wholesale which will contribute a term to the creation of 2,000 jobs.

In the latter, will add some 10,000 new jobs created by the various suppliers that will move around the complex or many related jobs in the different municipalities within this perimeter.

Like the Asian manufacturers who assemble their models as distant as possible from the industrial area chosen by the big three American car that is both highly unionized and whose employees earn big salaries and enjoy good conditions work, Volkswagen has seen fit to do the same when he moved to Tennessee.

For comparison, Volkswagen will pay wages that will be around $ 27 per hour while workers of the "Big Three" American earn on average $ 52 per hour. Now imagine the cost of the labor d'oeuvres for Volkswagen in America compared to those granted to its employees in German factories.

As for the Japanese, this is an important "deal" facing the respective value of their currency is the Japanese yen and the euro in Germany.

The assembly plant will eventually produce up to 150,000 vehicles per year.

Currently, only the new Volkswagen Passat destiny exclusively to North American markets will be assembled in this plant. But to recoup this investment, Volkswagen will have to assemble at least a second model, possibly even proceed to the production of three vehicles.