Construction work on the new engine plant in Silao in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato officially began yesterday when the foundation stone was laid at a ceremony attended by the Governor of the state of Guanajuato, Juan Manuel Oliva Raminéz, and Hubert Waltl, member of the Volkswagen brand board of management responsible for production. From 2013, state-of-the-art production technology will be used to manufacture the latest generation of engines at the Silao plant.
Silao factory will supply vehicle plants in North America with up to 330,000 engines per year from 2013
“This engine plants writes a new chapter in Volkswagen’s success story in Mexico spanning more than fifty years,” Waltl said at the ceremony. “Innovative products, skilled and motivated employees and efficient, environmentally-friendly production processes are the basis for our global growth. The Volkswagen de México team and the new Silao plant embody all of this.”
Strengthening its market position in North America is an essential component of the Volkswagen Group’s global growth strategy. In this context, the company is planning annual sales of one million vehicles in the USA from 2018 based on models such as the New Jetta and the New Passat tailored to the demands of US customers which are produced at North American plants with a high degree of localization.
From 2013, the new factory in Silao will supply latest-generation engines to the vehicle plants in Puebla, Mexico, and Chattanooga, USA. The Silao facility is designed for an annual capacity of 330,000 engines. Investment in developing the new engine as well as building the new plant runs at 550 million USD (400 million euros). Volkswagen will be creating approximately 700 new jobs at the Silao plant in the medium term. Further jobs in the region will also be created at suppliers and in the logistics sector.
Otto Lindner, Chairman of Volkswagen de México, drew attention to growth in Mexico’s automotive sector in 2010; Volkswagen accounted for 435,000 locally produced vehicles last year. He said: “Silao is a big step towards the future for us. We are triggering new momentum for growth and employment in the Mexican automotive industry.”
Currently, the Volkswagen Jetta, Golf Estate and New Beetle are produced in Puebla, Mexico. Production of the new Passat developed specifically for the US market will begin in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, in the first quarter of 2011.
