Red 2004 Volkswagen Beetle Gls Convertible 2-door 1.8l, 76k Miles on 2040-cars

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VW expanding in Chattanooga, hiring workers ahead of SUV production

Hey, look! We're writing about Volkswagen's Chattanooga, TN factory and the focus isn't on yet another unionization effort. That's because the big news at the still-new factory is VW's plan to expand and increase its workforce in preparation for the arrival of the German brand's long-awaited midsize crossover. The expansion, which will add over half a million square feet of factory space, overhaul the assembly, body and paint shop and add 2,000 employees to the factory's ranks, officially kicked off last month. "This is a very exciting time in the history of Volkswagen Chattanooga," president and CEO of operations at the plant, Christian Koch, said in a statement. "A lot of hard work is going into adding this second vehicle line to the plant, but it is crucial to our efforts to move forward in America." "Not only will Volkswagen's expansion create thousands of new jobs, it will strengthen their roots in our city," Chattanooga's Mayor, Andy Berke, said in a statement. "From the construction at the plant to the development of a visitors center, there is no doubt that Volkswagen is invested in Chattanooga." VW Chattanooga has been a constant in the headlines over the past few years as pro-union and pro-business interests have battled over the souls representation rights of its roughly 1,500 workers. Just over a year ago, the UAW was defeated in its initial unionization bid, although pro-labor interests have not gone quietly into the night. Construction is expected to continue for two years, with production of Chattanooga's second vehicle expected to commence in 2016. Scroll down for the official press release from Volkswagen. VOLKSWAGEN CHATTANOOGA'S PLANT EXPANSION UNDERWAY Feb 24, 2015 Construction Will Add 2nd Vehicle Line: New Midsize SUV CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (Feb. 24, 2015) - Construction is underway at the Volkswagen Chattanooga manufacturing facility in preparation for production of an all new Midsize SUV. The first phase of construction started in early January 2015 and will continue for the next two years. Volkswagen Chattanooga CEO and President Christian Koch gave a site tour to Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger on Tuesday, highlighting the necessary expansion of the production areas in the body shop, paint shop and assembly areas.

Happy 60th to the VW Karmann Ghia

Volkswagen's product portfolio may be as extensive these days as any other carmaker in the business. But if you still think of the original Beetle as synonymous with the brand, that's probably because a) you're old and b) the Beetle was the company's only product until the mid-50s.
Sixty years ago Wilhelm Karmann (founder of the eponymous coachbuilder) was in Paris for the auto salon and met up with Luigi Segre and his team from Carrozzeria Ghia who showed him what was essentially a "Beetle in a sports coat." A month later they showed it to Volkswagen chief Heinrich Nordhoff who, setting aside his conservative tastes, approved it for production. And so the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia was born, giving the German marque a second product line. It still used Beetle mechanicals and was built at the same Karmann factory in Onsabrück that was already assembling the Beetle Cabriolet.
It took another couple of years to put the design into production, but from 1955 to 1974, Volkswagen and Karmann built 362,601 coupes and 80,881 of the subsequent convertible that arrived in 1957. Today the Onsabrück factory is part of the VW Group, handling production of the Golf Cabriolet, XL1 and Porsche Boxster and Cayman, and with that original Karmann Ghia prototype as part of its factory collection.

MotorWeek looks back at the 1986.5 VW Scirocco 16V

It's back to the past with MotorWeek for a video dive into the 1986.5 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V, the coupe that carried the pennant for VW's performance aspirations for 15 years, from 1974 to 1989. This one, the last generation, got the hottest of all by adding a head with four valves per cylinder. The 1.8-liter DOHC engine cranked out "an amazing" 123 horsepower and 120 pound-feet of torque, and made this model the fastest VW to ever be sold in America; it went from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 8.5 seconds, faster than a Porsche 944. To compare vintage apples to modern ones, the New Scirocco with a 123-hp 1.4-liter TSI engine and a manual transmission takes 9.3 seconds. We like MotorWeek's Retro Review series not only for the cars, but for how they also remind us of what we used to find important in cars. The Scirocco here gets upvoted for its throttle response and handling, downvoted for an oddly placed oil pressure gauge and lack of battery voltage meter. We can't remember the last time a voltage meter was mentioned in a review, either its presence or lack. Check out the video above for what the definition of "US hot hatch" used to be.