VW has a brand new facility in Chattanooga, TN just officially open for business. Built here will be the 2012 VW Passat, a U.S. specific car. According to VW spokeswoman Mya Walters, VW will begin building up inventories for the market including the 2012 Passat, as well as churning out 9,000 cars to supply the company’s 600 dealerships with Passats for the September launch. Designed in Germany and made in America, the new Passat is the first VW to be built in the U.S. since VW closed its Pennsylvania plant in 1987. The first foreign automaker to build cars in the U.S., VW has invested over $1 billion in the new factory and hired about 1,700 employees.. The plant began assembling Passats for the Mexican market April 18, and will continue hiring until all 2,000 positions are filled. The company then aims to build 150,000 Passats each year. VW sold 12,500 Passats here in 2010. VW also states they will assemble the new Passat with parts from local companies which should provide work for another 9,500 people.