Stefan Jacoby |
Volkswagen targets U.S. market with production, product and marketing Orlando, Fla.—Volkswagen Group of America will aim to boost annual U.S. sales to 800,000 a year by increasing brand awareness, investing in U.S. production and growing its product line, said president and CEO Stefan Jacoby, who is the convention keynoter.
Although Volkswagen is Europe’s largest automaker, its market share in the U.S. is relatively low. Jacoby, who was appointed VW’s U.S. chief in 2007, said he hopes to reach a sales goal of 800,000 units a year by 2018. One way to do this, he said, is through the company’s $4 billion investment in a new plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. The plant, slated to begin production in 2011, will nearly double VW’s current U.S. work force of 2,500.
“Our growth strategy is built on five pillars—Chattanooga production, our organization, our products, our brand and our dealer network,” Jacoby said.
New models, Jacoby added, include a Jetta successor, coming in late summer, as well as a new Touareg with a hybrid option, an U.S.-made midsize sedan and a Beetle successor, all launching in 2011.