BAUNATAL, Germany—A robot accidentally killed a worker at Volkswagen’s automotive assembly plant here. The robot pressed the worker up against a metal plate, crushing his chest.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen has recognized a new group called the American Council of Employees (ACE) to represent workers at its assembly plant here, in addition to the United Auto Workers. ACE is an alternative to and has campaigned against the UAW, which a year ago lost an election to be the sole representative of workers at the plant.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen is thinking about introducing new variants of the Passat and CrossBlue SUV to the North American market, and it could assemble one or more of the vehicles in Chattanooga.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—In the wake of Friday’s stunning defeat among Volkswagen’s workers here, the UAW must soberly assess whether it can effectively organize any foreign-owned assembly plant in a region where organized labor has been regarded as an undesirable force for generations.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Workers at Volkswagen’s assembly plant here will vote Feb. 12-14 on whether they wish to be represented by the UAW.

"Watch where you step so you avoid the poisonous snakes!” is not something that’s typically heard when touring an automotive assembly plant. But, Volkswagen AG’s two-year-old Chattanooga, TN, facility is out of the ordinary when it comes to being environmentally friendly.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen is aiming to reduce its worldwide energy consumption by 25 percent and triple the renewable energy it uses by 2018, part of a program called Think Blue.

In early March, UAW officials met with workers from Nissan Motor Co.’s assembly plant in Smyrna, TN, to lay the groundwork for a third union representation vote. Plant employees turned down the UAW by a 2-to-1 margin in 2001. A 1989 attempt to organize the plant also failed.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen’s assembly plant here has upped production to 610 sedans per day.