VW Chattanooga plant gets green award

From Yahoo Green Volkswagen AG's new assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the first auto plant to receive the top environmental award from the U.S. Green Building Council, the company said on Thursday. Frank Fischer, chief executive and chairman of Volkswagen Chattanooga, said that being green saves VW money on energy and water costs.

The plant's paint shop alone will save 50 million gallons of water over 10 years, VW said. The plant makes the Passat sedan. VW reported November U.S. sales of about 6,000 of the cars, up from only about 300 a year earlier. The new Passat took the place of a sedan imported from Germany. Volkswagen's November U.S. sales rose 41 percent to about 28,400 vehicles. VW was ninth among automakers in U.S. sales through October, up from 10th in 2010.