At Heritage Volkswagen Catonsvillee, we take great pride in what we do, and we are especially proud of the fact that the auto manufacturer we represent has committed itself to seeking new opportunities to improve its portfolio and its understanding of customers throughout the world. This mission is on its way to great success thanks in part to the development of the North American Engineering and Planning Center.
The center will be the new hub for brand research and development opportunities as well as product planning initiatives in the South. These efforts will support the active North American Region in its purchasing, production and sales work. Product-related functions based in the facility will include product engineering and management as well as innovation management. The automaker expects to improve its service to the North American Region by shortening product time to market, reducing product lifecycles, maintaining competitive pricing and strengthening its regional presence through the development of model variations specific to the U.S. market.
While the North American Engineering and Planning Center is currently located near the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant, our staff at Russel Volkswagen is eager to see its impact on our Volkswagen cars here in Maryland. After all, Volkswagen Group of America is the first original equipment manufacturer to launch a research and development center at this level in the South. The manufacturer expects to hire a team of as many as 200 skilled engineers at the facility by the end of next year.
Join us as we track the progress of this facility as well as its impact on our business and our customers moving forward. We're embracing the future with the Volkswagen brand, and we'd like you to be a part of our journey.