Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW meet at the White House to discuss US market

The Group subsidiary Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) was established in 1955 – its brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. The Group sold its first vehicle to an American six years earlier: a Volkswagen Beetle. The Porsche subsidiary Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) is also a member of the Group – it was founded in 1984.

What role does the country play as an export market for the German automotive industry?

Measured by product value, Germany exports more vehicles, chassis, engines, etc. to the United States than to any other country in the world. Export volume totaled €29.4 billion in 2017. Market volume totaled 17.1 million vehicles. The German automotive industry produces more vehicles locally in the United States than it imports from Germany. Only 6 percent of all vehicle imports come from Germany. In 2017, the brands of the Volkswagen Group sold 625,107 vehicles in the United States. From January to October 2018, the Volkswagen Group delivered 528,900 vehicles, an increase of 3.9% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The Volkswagen Group counts on the United States and is investing there – but how much exactly?

From 2015 to 2019, the Volkswagen Group plans to invest $7 billion in the North American region. It also recently approved an additional $3.3 billion through 2020. The lion’s share of this money will be invested in Volkswagen’s production operation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Last March, the company announced that about $340 million would be invested in the market introduction of another model – three models will then be produced in Chattanooga. The other two are the U.S. Passat and the Atlas. The Volkswagen Group is also searching for a production site for e-vehicles. Other locations are possible in addition to Chattanooga. A final decision has not been made yet.

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