One of the reasons why Volkswagen hasn’t officially mentioned anything about the North American availability of the new, seventh generation Golf that was presented at the Paris Motor Show last week, is because it hasn’t reached a final decision on where it will produce the compact hatchback for the local market.
Nevertheless, that may change soon as VW CEO Martin Winterkorn told German magazine Automobilwoche, a sister publication of Autonews, that the company is leaning towards its factory in Puebla, Mexico, for the North American production of the new Golf. The same plant also builds the Jetta saloon.
Asked about the possibility of manufacturing the compact hatch at VW’s new factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which currently builds the American Passat, Winterkorn was negative.
“Chattanooga has exhausted its capacity,” he said. “If we expand there, an SUV that ends up roomier than the Tiguan would have a good shot.”
Winterkorn added that the automaker will have decided on the production site “in a matter of just a few weeks” and will be able to announce a sales date before the end of the year, with Automobilwoche stating that the Golf Mk7 should arrive in the United States at the end of 2014 or in early 2015 at the latest.
Currently, the new Golf is built exclusively at VW’s German factories in Wolfsburg and Zwickau, with VW having made plans to produce the car in China as well starting from next year.
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