A new electric crossover SUV, similar to Nissan’s Rogue Sport, will roll out in the US. The Nissan Rogue-like electric SUV will be the company’s fifth EV to be built at its Canton, Miss plant. Meanwhile, Nissan is delaying EV production (again) after putting a $500 million investment on hold.
EV production in Canton is delayed again
Nissan is pushing back EV production in Canton for the second time this year. After delaying plans to begin building electric cars at the facility in January, Nissan is at it again.
Production of two Nissan electric sedans was scheduled to start in June 2026. However, Nissan pushed the date back until November 2026, citing “the need to enhance product competitiveness,” a note to suppliers read.
According to a new memo viewed by Automotive News, Nissan asked suppliers to “stop all development activities related to [the EV sedan] project until further notice.
Nissan did not provide a new start date but said suppliers can expect an update in mid-June. “I think it’s going to be at least six or eight months before [Nissan] returns with a new plan,” one of the suppliers said.
“What matters is making sure that we launch the vehicles that the customer wants, at the time the customer wants it,” Nissan America chairperson Jérémie Papin explained.
A new Nissan Rogue-like electric SUV is coming
In a separate note, Nissan unveiled plans to introduce a Rogue-like electric SUV. According to GlobalData, the new EV, codenamed PZ1L, will be similar in size to the Nissan Rogue Sport.
It will be the fifth EV made in Canton. The automaker’s production plans include a pair of new electric sedans, one Nissan brand (codenamed LZ1F), and an Infiniti model (LZ1E). Nissan’s LZ1F was scheduled for production in Nov 2026, with the LZ1F following in April 2027.
Nissan will need to act quickly with suppliers asking for answers. Papin said Nissan will provide “clarity” on EV production “fairly soon.”
In the meantime, Nissan’s output at the plant is dwindling. The Canton facility was built to support over 410,000 vehicles annually, but Nissan cut its capacity to around 270,000 at the start of the decade.
Nissan Titan production is set to end this summer, while Altima production has been extended through late 2025.
Electrek’s Take
With Nissan’s footprint in the US shrinking, the automaker will need to shake things up. Although sales are up 7% in the US through March 2024, Nissan’s market share has fallen in recent years.
Nissan had an 11% share of new car sales in the US in 2018, but that number fell to around 5.8% last year.
Although Nissan’s decade-old LEAF is falling out of favor (sales are down +50% this year), its second EV in the US, the Ariya, is picking up the slack. Nissan Ariya sales are up 45% through the first three months of 2024, with 4,142 units sold.
Nissan’s LEAF and Ariya are already two of the most affordable EVs on the market, but the competition is intensifying.
With Altima sales slipping (-13 % through March), Nissan may want to speed up its timeline rather than delay it again.
Production at Canton is expected to be around 204,500 in the fiscal year ending March 21, 2025. With EV production not scheduled to begin until late 2026 (at the earliest), how does Nissan plan to keep up?
We will learn more about Nissan’s EV production plans soon with more updates expected to come in the next few months.
Would you buy a new Nissan Rogue-like electric SUV? By 2027, it will need to stand out, as plenty of rivals will launch similar-sized EVs.
Author: Peter Johnson
Source: Electrek
