Another milestone from the Volkswagen Plant at Enterprise South.
The crew that built it's first car for sale a year ago now has turned-out 100-thousand vehicles.
The young Volkswagen plant is turning out 600 cars a day with its 2100 employees working 2 shifts.
A year ago most workers didn't know how to build a car, but six months later the Passat was named Motor Trend Magazine's Car of the Year.
Management at the Enterprise South plant is not willing to rest on its laurels.
FRANK FISCHER, CEO, VOLKSWAGEN CHATTANOOGA "By the end of July, beginning of August, we will operate our three shift teams model...which means 2 shifts a day 6 days a week..which again will increase our capacity."
The plant capacity is now about 150-thousand units a year...but a thousand more employees will be added over the summer.
The goal is 180-thousand vehicles a year by 2013.
FRANK FISCHER "At this point we actually hit 3000 employees..as you remember, is a 50% more than originally projected."
The CEO of Volkswagen of America says the company wants a mid-size utility vehicle for the U.S. Market.
Jonathan Browning told the Detroit Free Press that the Chattanooga plant could be the perfect place to build it.
More land is being cleared near the existing plant that could be part of future expansion.
Fischer says he doesn't know if and when that will happen here.
FRANK FISCHER "At this point, of course, we have to prepare because we have to be ready for further expansion..whether that be a supplier park or some other building..so this is the background. No decision yet..to make it very clear, but we want to be prepared for that."
The Volkswagen team members were brought together to see the 100-thousandth car, and the Norcross, Georgia woman who now owns it.
JOANNE BENANTE, NORCROSS, GA. "I gave them a call and that's when they told me my car would be 100-thousandth off the assembly line and I was so excited. And they asked me if I would come up here, and I said absolutely, I'd come up here and drive it home."
Ms. Benante, who is a scientist for the Environmental Protection agency, thanked the crew for building her 2.0 liter diesel and the drove it from the conference center, and headed home.
Volkswagen will build a solar park on part of the newly cleared land, which will also include a connector road to Highway 58.
