SPARTANBURG, SC—BMW is considering as many as four locations in Mexico at which to build a new assembly plant for the 3-series sedan.

DELTA TOWNSHIP, MI—GM has reached a tentative deal with the UAW local that represents hourly employees at the automaker’s Lansing Delta Township assembly plant.

AKRON, OH—Researchers at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. have discovered that using soybean oil in tires can increase tread life by 10 percent and reduce the tiremaker’s use of petroleum by 7 million gallons each year.

DEARBORN, MI—Ford of Europe is developing a new virtual factory to simulate assembly line production processes to reduce costs and enhance efficiency.

WASHINGTON—More jobs will be coming back to the United States from offshore locations during the next eight years, according to a new report by CoreNet Global, an association of corporate real estate executives.

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI—Ford Motor Co. is hiring 225 workers and adding an assembly line at its assembly plant here to make a new hybrid-electric transmission. The carmaker is investing $220 million in the project.

SMYRNA, TN—Nissan’s automotive assembly plant here has earned ISO 50001 certification for leadership in energy management.

COLUMBUS, GA—Automotive supplier AFS America LLC is building a $3 million assembly plant and warehouse here. The facility will create 65 new jobs.

Composites are becoming increasingly popular with body and trailer manufacturers.