It was never really much of a mystery that Volkswagen planned to build its as-yet-unnamed and U.S.-specific mid-size SUV here in the U.S., at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, manufacturing facility. But there were quite a few twists and turns to the story, which is to be expected given the vast length of time between its debut in show-car form in 2013 (as the CrossBlue concept) and its eventual on-sale date sometime in late 2016 or early 2017. Oh, and there also was the UAW’s attempt to unionize VW’s Chattanooga plant workers, an episode that involved accusations of backroom deal-making between the automaker and Tennessee politicians.
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- Volkswagen Touareg Research: Full Pricing, Specs, Reviews, and More
While most of that is now in the past—perhaps not for the UAW—the long-awaited confirmation that the crossover SUV would be built in Tennessee is a key step along VW’s path to selling a bunch of cars by 2018. Volkswagen desperately needs a competitively priced crossover to do battle in the superhot three-row segment. The two-row Touareg, which likely will continue as a premium offering in VW’s lineup, is simply too expensive to compete with the Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, et al. Production of the yet-unnamed SUV will commence in late 2016 alongside the U.S.-spec Passat that is currently assembled in the Chattanooga factory.
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