This week, Nissan announced a plan to invest $500 million into its Canton, Mississippi factory to prepare for the production of two new electric vehicles.
Once seen as a leader in electrification, with the Leaf launching all the way back in 2011, Nissan has since let its lead slip and took over a decade to launch a second electric vehicle in the US.
But with Ariya finally coming, things are starting to move for Nissan on the EV front and the Japanese automaker is planning to bring more EV production to the US.
This week, the company announced a $500 million investment in its Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Mississippi to make it a “center for US EV production”:
“Nissan today shared details on how its Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant will become a center for U.S. EV production. The company is transforming Nissan Canton with the latest in EV manufacturing technology to support production of two all-new, all-electric vehicles.”
The automaker didn’t specify what will be these “two all-new, all-electric vehicles” will be, but the Canton plat primarily produces pickup trucks; Frontier, TITAN, and TITAN XD, along with the Altima.
It could be an indication that the automaker is finally joining the race to produce all-electric pickup trucks in volume, but it is currently not commenting on the EVs to be produced in Mississippi.
Ashwani Gupta, chief operating officer of Nissan Motor Corporation, commented on the announcement:
“Today’s announcement is the first of several new investments that will drive the EV revolution in the United States. Nissan is making a strong investment in Canton’s future, bringing the latest technology, training and process to create a truly best-in-class EV manufacturing team.”
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves added:
“For nearly two decades, Mississippians have kept our state at the forefront of the world’s automotive industry. The announcement that Nissan Canton is shifting some production to EVs further positions Mississippi as a leader in this crucial economic sector. We are a top state for automotive leaders, and this significant investment by Nissan in the Canton facility lets the world know that we are open for business and our workforce is ready to take on these in-demand jobs of the future.”
Nissan says that the new investment will help “preserve and upskill nearly 2,000 jobs” and that production of the two new electric vehicles is expected to begin in 2025.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
