CHATTANOOGA (AP) — Volkswagen is eying a prime riverfront location in downtown Chattanooga for a new $12 million welcome center.

The Chattanooga Time Free Press reports (http://bit.ly/1xMB3VN) that the welcome center would give the German automaker a chance to show off its vehicles and its story in the city's main tourist area.

"You go fishing where the fish are," said Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau chief Bob Doak about a potential site on or near the waterfront. "It's going to give them maximum exposure."

City and county governments have agreed to cover up to $6 million of the cost.

Volkswagen's lone U.S. assembly plant located about 12 miles east of downtown Chattanooga is in the midst of a $600 million expansion to add the production of a new SUV.

Michael Horn, the head of the Volkswagen Group of America, told the newspaper that he expects a decision on the concept and location of the welcome center to be made by the end of March.

"We're still working a little bit on the concept — what to do precisely," Horn said. "We've made some advancements."