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Is This Good? Volkswagen's New U.S. Plant Will Also Build Porsches
The German Website Handelsblatt.com is reporting today, that the planned US Volkswagen assembly plant planned for 2010 will not only assemble VW and Audi products, but the Porsche Cayenne as well.

With the sinking US dollar and the under valued Yen, it has become increasingly important for the European automakers to establish plants in the US to maintain competitive leverage against the Japansese in the U.S. market.  Volkswagen currently has a short list on the candidates in  Alabama, Tennessee and Michigan and will make a decision in the next few weeks for the location of the plant, with completion slated for late 2010.

VW aims to increase sales in the US from a modest 230,000 units to over 800,000 through the next decade; with that type of growth, a US plant will be mandatory.

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Is This Good? Volkswagen's New U.S. Plant Will Also Build Porsches



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Bmw8terBmw8ter - 5/13/2008 1:04:15 PM
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The Bentley Continental Gt and the VW Phaeton are made at the same plant. I don't see why not.

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AudiphileAudiphile - 5/13/2008 1:48:25 PM
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Actually, Bmw8ter, for a while the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and the VW Phaetoon were built at the same factory in Dresden. However, that was a temporary measure to bide Bentley over until the Crewe facility could be enlarged to meet the demand for their new sedan. Bentley customers were offered the option to buy either Crewe or Dresden Flying Spurs. The two vehicles cost the same, but one could take delivery sooner if one picked the Dresden car. Now that the Crewe factory can handle all of the demand for the Flying Spur, the Dresden production has ceased.

Besides, regardless of whether initial production began at Crewe or Dresden, the final assembly steps (interiors, for instance) for ALL Bentley Continental Flying Spurs have always been performed at Crewe.

The Continental GT has always been produced at Crewe.

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Bmw8terBmw8ter - 5/13/2008 3:02:42 PM
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You're right...Flying Spur.

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Agent63Agent63 - 5/14/2008 2:43:29 AMView My AgentSpace
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It's not a bad idea or a great idea. VW/Audi/Porsche have always been working together. I know in Germany the Cayennes are welded in a VW plant and final assembly is done in a Porsche plant.

It doesn't matter where the cars are made. It's a matter of quality control that the companies take into account when making these cars on our side of the water. I'm confident they have specialists and inspectors over here that ensure the quality of the products are of highest grade possible.

The Porsches sold in North America aren't bad quality why should they change now?

Like-wise with Audi's and VW's.

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993Turbo993Turbo - 5/13/2008 1:03:08 PM
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Uh Oh. Here comes that famous Union workmanship.

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AudiphileAudiphile - 5/13/2008 1:55:37 PM
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You do have a point. However, if the plant is built in Alabama or Tennessee, the UAW can be kept at bay.

I was wondering - have the American auto industry's recent trouble made the UAW any more reasonable with regards to wages and benefits, and more cooperative with regard to build quality?


auto001auto001 - 5/13/2008 2:12:54 PM
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ha ha, it's not like VWs were cream of the crop in terms of reliability to begin with :) as for the Porsche... uh-oh, those were reliable to begin with :(


TurboSpyderTurboSpyder - 5/13/2008 2:31:40 PMView My AgentSpace
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Consumer Reports recommends the VW Eos, Jetta and Rabbit but not the V6 Camry. VW also wins reliability awards in Europe and are considered reliable cars there.

http://www.ameinfo.com/144555.html

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/volkswagen_news/article_2208.shtml

http://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2007/january/19/12289.asp


ghosthunterghosthunter - 5/13/2008 1:33:41 PM
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I don't really consider Cayenne to be a Porsche. it won't bother me as long as the new plant only purduces SUV, not their sport cars.

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t_bonet_bone - 5/13/2008 3:34:18 PM
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Won't make the Cayenne any LESS of an abomination.


993Turbo993Turbo - 5/14/2008 6:01:21 AM
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I just bought a Cayenne GTS. It's awesome.


hao420hao420 - 5/13/2008 1:55:44 PM
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well,that will bring down prosche's build quality....

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Agent009Agent009 - 5/13/2008 2:04:20 PMView My AgentSpace
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Actually many of the VW plants rank among the world's best.


GTR35GTR35 - 5/13/2008 2:11:42 PMView My AgentSpace
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Too bad the same can't be said about the product.


investor27investor27 - 5/13/2008 2:45:59 PM
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Bring down Porsche's build quality? The Cayenne has one of the lowest reliability according to the same Consumer Report others have cited here.


Bmw8terBmw8ter - 5/13/2008 3:05:41 PM
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I'd hardly call the Cayenne a Porsche. It's nothing more than a rebodied Touareg....and we all know Touareg's have never been a poster child for reliability.


Htay7500Htay7500 - 5/13/2008 5:02:41 PM
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the cayenne is definetly not a porsche to me either. I hate both.


bayareaspeedracerbayareaspeedracer - 5/13/2008 2:01:39 PM
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it's not the mere fact of a plant being located in the U.S. that leads to bad workmanship. It has more to do with the operations of the plant itself - how they are designed, quality controls, etc. U.S. workers operating under the same operations controls will perform as well..

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TataPowerTataPower - 5/13/2008 2:29:37 PM
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What's the big deal? Porsche = VW since the very first VW Beetle and Porsche Typ 12 back in the 1930's. They're still the same cars today. This is just a sensible business move like every other sane car manufacturer.

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KZ258KZ258 - 5/13/2008 2:50:42 PM
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now all the VW/Audi haters can say that Porsche is just another VW porduct

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auto001auto001 - 5/13/2008 5:31:13 PM
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I don't have to say that now, I said it long time ago :)

911 = beetle with mustard up its but


aarononymousaarononymous - 5/13/2008 3:13:07 PM
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Pretty sure it's going to be in NC. It's definately not going to be in Michigan. NC is between the new headquarters in VA and the suppliers near the BMW plant in SC. Also if they build VW, Audi & Porsche that is at least 2 different platforms. Audi is pushing for a seperate US plant to go with the VW plant. The story seems to have a few flaws...

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mercuryguymercuryguy - 5/13/2008 3:34:48 PM
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Great! the US is now a cheap source of labor. Soon we will be at 3rd World status for standards of living.

In all seriousness, this is welcomed news though. This will make these brands more affordable. Maybe the Audi A8L will be obtainable now since the big three seem to be getting out of the big sedan business these days. Let a builder with more experience take over the large sedan segment, at least this way it will fly under the radar screen and not be labeled a gas guzzler, especially if it has an Audi Logo on it.

On the bright side, struggling families might now have a fighting chance in getting a loan for a VW now.
With the plummeting US Dollar, the price VW Passat would continue to climb making it equivalent to getting a mortgage for a house, at least for the majority of Americans.

If they can sell Audis and VWs cheap in the US, then the big three are in trouble for sure.


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mercuryguymercuryguy - 5/13/2008 3:42:50 PM
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It is American Companies that cut corners, and use cheaper materials. The American Worker has little say on Quality. It is Engineering and management. Workers just do what they are told, and work like robots.

It is management that decides to use a nylon fastener instead of a weld joint to reduce cost. This is why American Quality looses ground. It is about greed, not laziness. Everyone has to put in a full day.

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JUGNUJUGNU - 5/13/2008 3:45:16 PMView My AgentSpace
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They'll surely take rebadging, platform sharing to another level.

JUGNU

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mercuryguymercuryguy - 5/13/2008 3:51:56 PM
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The Bentleys are what cars should be. They represent craftsmanship of American Cars from the 1930’s like the Packard, Cord, Duisenberg, Pierce Arrow. (All great cars)
The quality American companies were driven out of business, and replaced with Companies that adopted the philosophy: “Cheaper is better” “More profit for us.”
The Bentley is what an American Car should have evolved to. Greed drove us in the wrong direction.


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gsh23gsh23 - 5/13/2008 4:18:16 PM
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dont you guys know? the 911 is made in a VW factory by flattening the new beetle. one time, i saw the VW factory make a mistake by forgetting to flatten a 911 turbo because the beetle had the same turbo badge on the back. a lucky college girl got a nice present!

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mini22mini22 - 5/13/2008 4:39:00 PM
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Look It's a for gone conclusion that a large # of car makers who wish to do business in the US will have no alternative but to build a plant either in the US or Mexico in order to compensate for the currency problem.The only car makers that will not have to be concerned are the ones that normally sell vehicles over 100 grand. Aston Martin,Ferrari,Bentley,Rolls Royce,Lamborgini Etc.Only the very rich can buy them anyway so it does not matter.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 5/13/2008 7:37:28 PMView My AgentSpace
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It doesn't matter, it's just the Cayenne. The 911, Boxster, Cayman and presumably Panamera will resume production in Germany.

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amazinBimmeramazinBimmer - 5/14/2008 12:21:07 AM
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hahahaha. germanut... where are u when i need u

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 5/14/2008 4:26:37 PMView My AgentSpace
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Coming from a rabid Corvette fanboy who has a knack for offending everyone on this site.

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huu76huu76 - 5/17/2008 4:26:43 PM
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I don't know if that's such a good idea putting Porsche under the same roof (except the Cayenne which isn't a real Porsche anyway).

Does this mean Touerag's and Cayenne's will be on the same assembly line? Ditto Jetta's and A4's?

Lexus build an entirely new plant in Woodstock to move production when they decided to build the RX in Cambridge. One half of the plant is strictly for RX production.

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