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Chattanooga Revels in the Volkswagen Announcement

Comments Below: 2

Stefan Jacoby - President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.: "The Volkswagen Group is building its US factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee..."

Elation is the best way to describe the atmosphere as Volkswagen's CEO Stefan Jacoby made it official... The German Automakers $1 Billion auto plant is coming to Chattanooga.

Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey: "You have helped my dream come true today. Thank You."

Anticipation was building for months as the possibility became more of a reality. For weeks auto magazines said Volkswagon had passed Chattanooga over, but Friday Senator Bob Corker got the phone call.

Sen. Bob Corker: "I embarrassed myself...cause I was emotionally overwhelmed."

Seven months and the efforts of more than 100 Tennesseans at the local, state, and federal level paid off in a big way.

Gov. Phil Bredesen: "We were all in this together. We said we would make something happen and we did. I wish Washington would take note of what Tennessee can accomplish. (cheers)"

From Governor Bredesen's treck to TN 33 years ago with his wife and all their worldly possessions crammed in a Volkswagen Rabbit...to Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield's promise to buy his new VW if the news was good...everyone had a Volkswagen story.

Mayor Littlefield: "I know she's watching on one of those camera's back there, and probably recording."

But...In the end the Governor let the headlines say it all.... (hoisting paper)

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A true V-bug Story

Submitted by Billy Allen II (not verified) on July 27, 2008 - 4:50pm.

Once upon a time, ... in Chattanooga, Tennessee...

It was somewhere between the years of 1967 to 1970. A friend of ours who was renting an apartment from our family had a black Volkswagen bug. He told me he would sell it to me for $150 and he let me drive it around a little bit. I loved it, but was unable to buy it at the time -

Then, in the Air Force in Tucson, Arizona, between the years of 1971 and 1973, I had a roommate in the barracks who bought a Volkswagen bug... the strange thing about his
V-bug was that you didn't have to have a key to start it up; all you needed was a key to get in it. Unless someone forgot to lock it, that is. We went for a ride in it and came back to the base later on that evening.

As I laid there in my bed, old urges from my earlier life 'V-bug' experience started coming back to me. I was unable to sleep - I could not get the Volkswagen bug off my mind. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, I softly called his name. When there was no response, I called his name again, just a little louder.

Convinced he was asleep, I got up, put my clothes on and went outside... yep, to where the V-bug was parked. To my surprise, he had left it unlocked! Of all things- of all times!

The next thing I knew, I was driving all over the base in my roommates' Volkswagen.

I don't recall just how long I was gone, but I remember thinking how crazy my actions were - I would never do this sort of thing (in my right mind)! Geesh! I just couldn't resist the temptation of driving a V-bug,... just one more time!

I have never owned a V-bug or even driven once since that night. I don't recommend my actions that night to anyone, but the urge was just simply (or was it sin-ply) overpowering!

I don't know if I will be able to afford one of the new V-bugs when they start rolling off the Chattanooga assembly line, but if you see a short guy with white hair and a big smile on his face driving down the road in the near future, just honk at me and wave 'cuz you will know that at least one of my dreams came true!

~Billy Allen

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