CHATTANOOGA — Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations announced Friday the company has hired its 2,000th employee, which completes the main Volkswagen team member work force for the factory which opened in May of this year.

“The Volkswagen Chattanooga team is highly motivated, ultra-professional and takes great pride in the 2012 Passat that we build,” said Frank Fischer, Volkswagen Chattanooga CEO and chairman. “We have the right people in place and they are committed to the highest quality standards each and every day.”

Amanda Sullivan was this 2000th employee to be hired at the plant. She is a production team member in training to work in the assembly shop and lives in Cleveland.

“We are very excited to have hired our 2000th employee and to have reached this milestone which fulfills our promise to Chattanooga and Hamilton County,” said Hans Herbert Jagla, executive vice president for human resources. “We found a dedicated, hard-working and trainable workforce right here in Tennessee and they are committed to the success of the Passat and Volkswagen Chattanooga.”

Hiring will continue through early fall at which time there will be about 2300 employees at the facility

“This is not only another landmark day for Volkswagen, but also another example of how Volkswagen keeps its promises,” said Jim Coppinger, Hamilton County mayor. “When Volkswagen announced their intention to build their new Passat in Hamilton County, they promised us they would add two thousand employees to the workforce. Congratulations, and let me also say how happy I am that most of Volkswagen’s workforce is from Hamilton County.”

“In 2008, Volkswagen made a bold commitment to hire 2,000 employees for their new manufacturing facility and just three short years later, they have achieved that goal,” said Ron Littlefield, Chattanooga mayor. “In addition to their 2,000 employees, the indirect result of their decision to locate in Chattanooga is equating to thousands of additional jobs that will positively impact the region. Their investment in our community continues to exceed expectations.”

“We’ve been looking forward to this incredible mile-stone for three years,” said Trevor Hamilton, vice president of economic development for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. “Over that time, Volkswagen never once waivered in its commitment to deliver this project on schedule and meet its commitments to our city. Volkswagen has become our community’s enthusiastic partner both as a major employer and a major economic development partner. On behalf of the business community, we thank Volkswagen and all of the people at the city, the county, the state, and dozens of other organizations who worked so hard to hasten the hiring of Volkswagen’s 2000th employee.”

About Volkswagen Group of America, Chattanooga Operations LLC

Volkswagen will invest $1 billion in the local economy for the Chattanooga plant and create more than 2,000 direct jobs in the region. According to independent studies, the new Volkswagen plant is expected to generate $12 billion in income growth and an additional 9,500 jobs related to the project. The Chattanooga manufacturing facility will build the all-new 2012 Passat sedan, specially designed for the North American market.