Tennessee's Governor To Woo VW Suppliers In Germany

September 17, 2008 11:39 a.m. EST

Nashville, TN (AHN) - Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, and other state officials, plan an October visit to Germany to attempt to persuade Volkswagen AG suppliers there to open factories in the state to serve VW's planned assembly plant in Chattanooga.

VW will build a new $1 billion plant in Chattanooga that is expected to employ about 2,000 workers, but Bredesen said the state could add an additional 4,000 to 8,000 automotive jobs to the area if it can persuade German suppliers to move operations to the U.S. near the planned VW plant.

"I really want to take this victory of Volkswagen deciding to come to Chattanooga and (use) this now to leverage it into additional investment," Gov. Bredesen was quoted as saying by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "There's a lot of reason for suppliers to Volkswagen to be located in Tennessee in the general area of the plant down there."

After Bredesen visits the automaker's Wolfsburg headquarters and the Germany's capital city, Berlin, he will return to Tennessee while other members of the trade mission visit auto suppliers in three other German cities, according to reports.

Because of Chattanooga's location, the auto plant and suppliers would also benefit nearby communities in Georgia and Alabama.