Quote Originally Posted by Packman41 View Post

VW, through their market research, perceived their customer base [[especially for Audi and Bentley) as being more affluent and better educated – that is the THEM. And they moved to be closer to that customer base.
The Northeast is basically target VW territory.

European car companies have their highest market share in the Northeast U.S., which is why many have their North American HQ there.

In contrast, Japanese car companies have their highest market share in the West, which is why many have their North American HQ there.

It's lessened from past years, but there's still a bit of a regional stigma for those of us who drive a non Big Three vehicle in Metro Detroit.