Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSV79

No new talks with VW about plant, state says
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Automaker exec quoted about possible factory

Responding to a report in the German automotive press, the state's economic development director said Friday that Alabama officials have held no new talks with Volkswagen about locating a plant in Huntsville.

In fact, Neal Wade said, the state has turned its focus to recruiting suppliers for VW's planned $1 billion assembly plant in Chattanooga.

In July, the German automaker chose Tennessee over Alabama and Michigan for its U.S. plant, which is expected to employ 2,000 people and produce up to 300,000 vehicles by 2018.

Wade said the state is sending an economic development delegation to Germany next month to meet with potential suppliers.

"VW has hundreds of suppliers," he said. "What we're doing now is learning which of those will supply the Tennessee plant."

On Wednesday, a VW executive speaking at a Moscow auto show said the company could still locate a plant in Huntsville.

Automobilwoche (Automobile Week), a Crain Communications trade publication in Germany, quoted Jochem Heizmann, group production director and a member of VW's management board, as saying, "Huntsville will always be an option for the VW Group for future projects in the U.S. And so too for a new component factory."

Before VW's official selection of Chattanooga over Huntsville, a British trade publication reported that the German automaker eventually could put a plant in both locations - one for assembly and one for, say, engines.

Heizmann stressed in his talk that VW had made no preliminary decision in favor of Huntsville for an additional U.S. plant.

"As always," he was quoted as saying, "we will thoroughly examine several options for the components plant."

Mayor Loretta Spencer and officials from the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, both heavily involved in the VW assembly plant recruitment, declined to comment on the new report.

Last week, Tennessee economic development officials revealed that state's total incentives package for VW: $577 million. Wade and Gov. Bob Riley have said Alabama's package was about $400 million.




© 2008 The Huntsville Times. All rights reserved.
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I would hope that the local and state officials are working on this, now that this story is public. Take some lessons on what Tenn and Chatty did, make
and maintain contacts, work on the infrastructure, improve weaknesses,
keep VW up to date on what's going on. It's almost like VW is asking if they can come, in other words do you want us?