VW nears decision on U.S.-built crossover

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Volkswagen will make a decision by year end about whether to expand its Chattanooga assembly plant to produce a new three-row crossover.Chattanooga is competing for the new vehicle against Volkswagen's older factory in Puebla, Mexico.The crossover would represent a new segment for Volkswagen. It would be only slightly larger than the current Touareg SUV, but due to a different design and architecture, allow for seven passengers."No decision has been made yet," said Frank Fischer, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations, speaking to an industry conference here Monday morning. "My team is working hard to get this as a second vehicle."The crossover would require Chattanooga to produce Volkswagen's new flexible global vehicle platform, which it calls the MQB "toolkit."Fischer said that the next generation Passat would also move to the MQB toolkit.Chattanooga currently builds only the Passat sedan.Automotive News reported about the possible crossover production earlier this year. CEO Martin Winterkorn last month told U.S. dealers the automaker is committed to bringing the new vehicle to the U.S. market.

VW nears decision on U.S.-built crossover

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