October 11 2012

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association has named U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander to the inaugural class of its new hall of fame.

Alexander helped recruit Nissan and General Motors plants near Nashville while he was governor of the state. He later helped persuade Volkswagen to build a plant in Chattanooga.

The other inductees are Richard G. "Skip" LeFauve, the first president of GM's Saturn Corp., and Marvin T. Runyon, former CEO of Nissan North America.

LeFauve, who died in 2003, led development of the GM plant in Spring Hill. Runyon, who died in 2004, supervised construction of assembly and engine plants in Smyrna that opened in 1981.

The induction ceremony was scheduled to take place at the Southern Automotive Conference in Chattanooga on Thursday.