Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations, LLC announced today that it has selected Graycor for the construction of the assembly and body shops, technical center and social area. Graycor, which is headquartered in Chicago, will source more than sixty percent of the $63 million award to local contractors. Graycor has also committed to sourcing 11 percent of the contract to minority and woman-owned suppliers.

Tuesday, April 7 at 9 a.m. ET-- Volkswagen of America President & CEO Stefan Jacoby. Look for a discussion that may include: House and Senate climate legislation to lower fuel standards emissions; thoughts on bailouts for U.S. auto companies; the future of vehicles; and VW's focus on diesel vs. electric.

To underscore all that, the campaign borrows terms from technology like “search engine,” “browse,” “storage capacity,” “add friends” and “set preferences” to describe features of the Cube. And the media mix skews decidedly toward nontraditional elements like iPhone games, wallpapers, text messaging, the Internet and MP3 downloads.

Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Matt Kisber today applauded Volkswagen Group of America’s decision to award a $147 million dollar contract to M-Tek, Incorporated of Manchester, Tennessee. The company will provide interior door panels for a new Volkswagen midsize sedan scheduled to begin production in early 2011.

Still, the acceleration was somewhat consistent and I could have kept picking up speed if I hadn't had to brake to stop from running into a cement wall. Exciting, no, but it was more like a Honda Civic than a golf cart.

Enough buyers trickled back to showrooms to keep GM, Toyota, Ford Motor Co., Chrysler LLC, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. from matching projections for bigger decreases in a month in which job losses increased and consumer confidence remained low.

Mobile Productivity, Inc., (MPi) www.mpifix.com) a leading provider of profitability tools for auto dealer service departments, announced today that veteran Ford Motor Company executive Al Giombetti has joined the MPi Advisory Council. The group of top dealers, veteran factory executives and automotive industry experts was formed in March '07 to provide auto industry input into the strategic product and marketing direction of MPi. Current members include David Vallone, Kip Killmon, Paul Rubin, Dennis Noonan, Bill Lovejoy, Richard Sherman, Joe Hilger, Maureen Sullivan Martin, Joe Herman, Tony Noland, Jeff Rachor and Ernest H. Pomerantz. A well known automotive industry veteran, Giombetti recently retired after 27 years as a Ford Motor Company employee. Currently, Giombetti is the President of ASK Consulting, a firm that specializes in strategic and operating planning with a focus on the developing targeted marketing strategies and supporting key business operations. In addition, he is a partner in Compass Marketing LLC, an investment organization that turns great ideas into real business opportunities. Giombetti's professional affiliations have included Board Member positions with the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, where he served as chair of the marketing committee, and the King's College Business School Advisory Board.