DETROIT—A reporter discovers that life on GM’s Cadillac assembly line is not that easy.

AUBURN HILLS, MI—Brose North America Inc., a manufacturer of mechatronic components for automobiles, has purchased a 380,000-square-foot factory building in New Boston, MI. It will be the supplier’s third assembly plant in Michigan and its ninth in North America.

COLUMBUS, OH—Letting autoworkers sit while they reach into a car’s interior could help prevent shoulder and back strain, but another solution might be to tilt the entire car so that workers can stand up. That’s the finding of two recent studies, which tested two ways to protect autoworkers from injury.

DETROIT—Carroll Shelby, designer of the Shelby Cobra and other sports cars that placed him in the pantheon of auto industry legends, has died at age 89.

DETROIT—GM is planning to assemble midsized vehicles for French automaker PSA Peugeot Citroen, while PSA will assemble a compact model for GM’s Opel brand.

GEORGETOWN, KY—Toyota is spending $30 million to increase annual production capacity at its engine assembly plant here by 100,000 units.

DECHERD, TN—Nissan and Daimler have begun constructing a new engine assembly plant here. The facility will be able to produce 250,000 units per year and is expected to employ 400.

CHATSWORTH, CA—Boulder Electric Vehicle has leased a 27,714-square-foot building here last month and has begun tooling it up to assemble electric vehicles. The company will initially hire 30 people and could employ 150 at full production.

MARYVILLE, TN—DENSO will add 75 jobs at its assembly plant here to make a new automotive component that stops and starts the engine when the vehicle is at a stop or idling.

DETROIT—Due to soaring sales, Chrysler has canceled the traditional two-week shutdown at four of its assembly plants, including the facilities in Belvidere, IL, and Toledo, OH.