The firm said that the opening of its 100th plant worldwide, which exist in a multitude of different nations across the continents, shows just how much of a commitment it has to being a global brand. Doing this also helps to offer jobs in certain areas that may not have been in place in the past.
Built in the city of Silao in Guanajuato, the plant was officially opened and unveiled on January 15th, and it will be producing turbocharged TSI petrol engines, including the engine which powered theVW Passat Performance Concept, a 1.8 liter enging with 247 HP. This engine was first showed off at motor shows in early 2013, including the North American International Auto Show.
The most impressive aspect of the $500 million factory though will be its ability to rejuvenate and boost job opportunities for native Mexicans, and help to drive down the number of people in the country who are finding themselves out of work in the early part of the year.
In the beginning, the plant has taken on around 700 new members of staff to work in the construction of the different engines that will be produced there, but crucially, Volkswagen has said that there is scope for this number to be drastically increased once everything gets going, and the plant is working at full capacity.
Martin Winterkorn, chief executive officer of VW, said: "The Silao factory is the Volkswagen Group's 100th plant and therefore represents one of the largest and most international production networks in the automotive industry [ . . . ] With this new plant we are driving our ambitious major North American offensive forward. Over the next three years the Volkswagen Group will be investing more than $5 billion in North America alone. Silao is thus also a strong symbol of our uninterrupted growth trajectory and the Group?s continuing internationalization."
Posted by Lee Thrace
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