HAMBURG – Volkswagen Group’s supervisory board was meeting on Friday to discuss plans for two new factories in North America, two people familiar with the matter said. One will be a production plant and the other will be a battery cell factory.
While the board is expected to approve a site for its Scout brand in the U.S., discussions around a gigafactory are open-ended, the sources told Reuters.
Reviving the Scout brand is a key part of VW’s target to gain 10 percent market share in the U.S.
VW Group CEO Oliver Blume in December said the automaker had begun searching for a site for a battery cell factory in North America, adding Canada was “one logical option” because of its raw material resources.
“We are still working hard to find a suitable location for our first gigafactory in North America and are in good, constructive talks,” a VW spokesperson said on Friday. No decision has been made yet, the spokesperson said.
Other issues on the meeting’s agenda are Volkswagen’s annual results and its dividend, the sources said.