VW unit to increase workers by 800 to raise capacity for Tiguan model production

FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Volkswagen AG's unit Auto 5000 GmbH will increase its workers by 800 to 4,600 this year and boost its manufacturing capacity in the run-up to the production of the Tiguan SUV, Auto 5000 head Thomas Ulbrich told the trade magazine 'auto, motor und sport'.

The overall capacity will also be raised by 40 pct to 280,000 units per year, he said.

The Tiguan, a smaller version of Touareg, will be launched in October this year.

Last year, Auto 5000 produced around 170,000 Touran and this year, including the Tiguan, around 30,000 more units would be made. Of the 30,000 units, half will be Tiguan.

He said the Tiguan will made in Wolfsburg, Germany, for the first two years but there are plans to explore the possibility of building them abroad, such as in Russia, India or Mexico.
Source : forbes.com