LENOIR CITY (AP) — Volkswagen has opened a $40 million facility in Tennessee to distribute parts for Passat sedans made by the German automaker's nearby assembly plant.

The 459,000-square-foot facility is located in Roane County, about 80 miles northeast of VW's assembly plant in Chattanooga.

The new facility's enhanced insulation, water efficient landscaping and use of regional construction materials earned a silver certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program.

It is the fifth VW building in the United States to earn LEED certification. The others are the Chattanooga assembly plant; the U.S. headquarters in Herdon, Va.; the Electronic Research Labi n Belmont, Calif.; and VW's test center in in Oxnard, Calif.