The Volkswagen Passat will end its run in 2023 at VW’s U.S. manufacturing base in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But don’t worry, Volkswagen has plans for what is next. In fact, they’ve already announced the products; they’re just now getting around to specifying a timeline.
Currently, the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant is producing the Passat alongside the Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Sport. earlier this year, the plant celebrated the 1 millionth vehicle to roll off its assembly line – Aurora Red Metallic 2020 Volkswagen Passat R-Line.
Before the Chattanooga plant opened, Volkswagen hadn’t made a vehicle in the U.S. in 22 years following the closing of the Westmoreland facility in Pennsylvania.
The Dasher was the predecessor to the modern Passat.
Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG<
The Passat got its start as a vehicle designed specifically for the North American market. Ground was broken on the Tennessee plant in 2009 and in 2011 it began producing the cars. It currently employees approximately 3,800 people. In the last nine years, the plant has produced more than 700,000 Passats and 100,000 Atlas SUVs. The new 2020 Atlas Cross Sport and the refreshed 2021 Atlas recently began production.
Volkswagen has announced that the plant will be the company’s North American base for manufacturing electric vehicles including the ID.4, representing an approximately $800 million investment, starting in 2022. The expansion to enable U.S. production of long-range EVs began in November 2019.
The expansion includes a new Engineering and Planning Center (EPC) at the plant that will feature a unique, state-of-the-art high-voltage laboratory that is designed to develop and test electric vehicle cells and battery packs. These cells and packs are slated to be assembled in the U.S. before being inserted into vehicles.
Production of the ID.4 will ramp up starting 2022. It will reach full capacity by 2023, then the Passat will be shown the door. Before the U.S. production begins, Volkswagen will exclusively produce the ID.4 at its Zwickau plant in Germany.
The Volkswagen ID.4 will be made in the U.S. starting in 2022.Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG
Though the Passat is leaving the U.S. market, it will continue as a vehicle for international sale. Development of the ninth-generation version of the model is currently underway.
