VW moving HQ out of Michigan

The Detroit Free Press reports:

Volkswagen AG is moving its North American headquarters from Michigan to northern Virginia to attract a younger skilled workforce.

“There is going to be a move,” said Steve Keyes, a spokesman for Volkswagen of America. “Some people, not all, will be relocated to Virginia. But we will still have a presence here in Auburn Hills.”


Keyes confirmed there will be a press conference in Herdon, Va. At 10 a.m. today to announce the details of the move.

The German automaker has 1,600 employees at its Volkswagen of America offices in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the company will move about 400 jobs and invest about $100 million in a move to Herdon, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. The paper also reported that about 400 Detroit-area jobs would be eliminated leave 600 positions in Southeast Michigan.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who met with VW of America President and Chief Executive Officer Stefan Jacoby in Lansing Wednesday evening, will make a statement about the apparent move at around noon.

“For a young talent, 35 years old, to come here with his family ... is a very important factor,” Stefan Jacoby told the Post. “By reducing this organization by 30 percent, you need even more talents, more creative people, more motivated people.”

That pro-union state of Michigan takes it on the chin again.It's hard to compete when other places don't have union problems.