Volkswagen Chattanooga on Tuesday announced that it has achieved a production milestone with the completion of the 700,000th Volkswagen Passat assembled in Chattanooga.
Assembled in the LEED Platinum-certified production facility in Chattanooga, the 700,000th Passat is a 2018 Passat GT, finished in Reflex Silver, with two-tone black and grey interior. The limited-edition model uses the 3.6-liter VR6 engine and a 6-speed DSG Tiptronic dual-clutch automatic transmission.
“The history of Volkswagen Chattanooga is intertwined with the history of the U.S. Passat," said Antonio Pinto, president and CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga. "As we grow and add models, we take pride in continuing to produce quality Passats in the state of Tennessee. I am very proud of our team for reaching this important milestone and look forward to more to come.”
The 2018 Passat GT was designed by the company’s North American engineering hub in Chattanooga and its Design Center in California based on extensive feedback from U.S. customers and dealers.
“The Passat GT is an example of how the Volkswagen North American Region is incorporating a local perspective into our global engineering expertise,” said Dr. Matthias Erb, chief engineering officer, and head of Product Strategy, Volkswagen North American Region. “The collaboration between U.S. engineers and designers allows us to create vehicles that meet the needs and desires of customers here.”
Officials said the Passat GT is a true sport sedan. With 280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, it offers power and luxury-class driving comfort with surprising fuel economy—EPA estimated fuel economy is 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Features include a black roof, 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, a honeycomb grille, GTI-like red accents, and a sport suspension that lowers the car’s stance.
In addition to the Passat, Volkswagen Chattanooga currently assembles the Volkswagen Atlas, a seven-passenger, midsize SUV designed for the American market. In March, Volkswagen also announced that Volkswagen Chattanooga will be the production home of the all-new five-seater SUV, a variant of the seven-passenger Atlas, built on the same award-winning MQB platform.
The 700,000th Volkswagen Passat will be commemorated on Volkswagen Chattanooga’s social media pages, as the assembly of the car was followed from the body shop, to paint shop and to its final stop at the assembly shop.