Volkswagen says new SUV coming to US in 2016

THE VOLKSWAGEN plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. AP FILE PHOTO

DETROIT – Volkswagen’s new seven-passenger SUV will go on sale in the U.S. in 2016.

The German automaker’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn, confirmed the timing of the new vehicle Sunday on the eve of the Detroit auto show.

Plants in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Puebla, Mexico, are vying to build the SUV.

Winterkorn said the new SUV will be part of a five-year, $7 billion investment in North America. The investment also includes the production of the new Volkswagen Golf, which begins Tuesday in Puebla. The Golf goes on sale in the U.S. this summer.

Winterkorn said Volkswagen is committed to its goal of selling 1 million vehicles per year in the U.S. by 2018. The company sold just over half that many in 2013.