Earlier this week on the eve of the Detroit Motor Show, the carmaker announced a multi-billion dollar investment program in North America as it looks to sell one million vehicles from the Volkswagen and Audi brands per year in the US by 2018.

The inauguration of the Golf production in Mexico was attended by Dr.Ildefonso Guajardo, Mexican Secretary of Economy, Rafael Moreno-Valle, Governor of the State of Puebla, and Prof Dr. Martin Winterkorn, chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, along with 700 guests from politics and industry.

‘Volkswagen de México has a proud history and a promising future. One car in particular is a symbol of that: The new Golf,’ Prof Winterkorn said in Puebla. ‘The start of Golf 7 production will give Volkswagen a big boost in the North America region. And it underscores our commitment to Mexico as an automotive location. That is further confirmed by the US$7bn our group will be investing in North America in the period to 2018.’

The first Golf sedan to be built in Mexico is a red Golf GTI2. Production of further derivatives such as the Golf station wagon for the North and South America regions will begin during the course of the year. Golf production at the Puebla plant has a capacity of 700 vehicles per working day.

In addition to the new Golf, the Puebla plant also builds the coupé and cabriolet versions of the Volkswagen Beetle plus the Volkswagen Jetta.

From 1964 to the present day, the Volkswagen Group has already invested a total of US$8bn in Mexico.