CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen of America has started construction on its $800 million electric vehicle production facility here that will include battery pack assembly.

MONTGOMERY, AL—Hyundai executives recently announced plans to add a new vehicle to the production lineup as part of a $410 million expansion project that will create 200 jobs at the company's manufacturing plant here.

Building a car generates massive amounts of data throughout the value chain. The BMW Group uses its Smart Data Analytics digitalization cluster to analyze this data selectively and enhance its production system. Results from intelligent data analysis make an effective contribution towards improving quality in all areas of production and logistics.

On some assembly lines, today's MVP is a robotic tool that was originally developed for use on the battlefield. It's called an exoskeleton. The wearable device enables operators to perform a variety of overhead tasks. It minimizes physical strain and boosts efficiency.

Like a third-string quarterback awaiting his moment in the spotlight, magnesium has been sitting patiently on the light-weighting sideline. But, it may finally get its turn to shine in automotive applications, thanks to several recent breakthroughs.

FREMONT, CA--Elon Musk plans to work on the assembly line at his Tesla auto plant.

DETROIT--General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in its domestic operations.