Michigan’s chances of getting the plant appear to be receding, according to a report in the July 2 edition of the Detroit News. Although VW executives are impressed by Michigan’s pool of highly skilled workers, they are reportedly concerned about the state’s economic difficulties. They also worry that the company might be overshadowed by Ford, GM and Chrysler. Read more about ithere.
Meanwhile, Alabama is preparing to throw more than $200 million at VW to snare the facility, according to a June 30 report from the Associated Press. The money would come from a state trust funded by royalties from off-shore natural gas wells. However, Alabama voters would have to approve a referendum to grant the incentives. Read more about ithere.
For its part, Tennessee wants VW to take over an old military site. You can read more about thathere.
Who will win out? We’ll find out shortly. VW’s supervisory board will hash it all out at a meeting July 15. The carmaker hopes to sell 1 million vehicles annually in the United States by 2018, or more than triple what it sells now.
VW has built cars here before. From 1978 to 1988, the company assembled some vehicles at a plant in Westmoreland, PA.
