Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of U.S. ports currently used by Volkswagen Group.
WASHINGTON -- Volkswagen Group is adding Baltimore as an import gateway in early 2020 to improve vehicle delivery in the mid-Atlantic region and inland points.
A 155-acre auto terminal, part of a massive multimodal logistics center at the former Bethlehem Steel property on Sparrows Point, will be able to handle 120,000 VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini vehicles per year, developer Tradepoint Atlantic said Wednesday.
Volkswagen will make a "significant" investment in the new port facility, which will include a 166,000-square-foot processing building. VW spokesman Mike Tolbert declined to provide the amount of capital expenditure.
Tradepoint Atlantic said construction will be completed in a year and result in about 100 new full-time jobs.
The Port of Davisville, R.I., currently receives VW Group vehicles bound for mid-Atlantic dealers. The port will now handle shipments for the Northeast region. VW operates at four other U.S. ports: Jacksonville, Fla.; Houston; San Diego; and Benicia, Calif.
The Sparrows Point location has connections to two Class I railroads and is close to Interstate 95, which officials say will expedite ground transport. Current tenants include Pasha Automotive, a finished vehicle logistics provider, and Harley-Davidson.
VW 's investment is the latest in a series of auto terminal expansions in North America that underscores the continuing importance of vehicle trade.
Tradepoint is not jurisdictionally part of the Port of Baltimore, the largest auto port in the nation in terms of volume, but shares the same waterfront.
