Nissan plans to increase the share of vehicles it sells in the U.S. that are built domestically, with about 80% of American-market Nissans expected to be produced in the country by the end of the decade. Christian Meunier, chairperson of Nissan’s American operations, highlighted tariffs as a significant factor behind the company’s push to expand U.S. vehicle production.
Nissan Targets 80% U.S. Production by 2030
Meunier discussed Nissan’s production plans during a media roundtable attended by a reporter from Japanese news outlet Nikkei. He said about 65% of Nissans currently sold in America are built in the U.S., a figure that is expected to rise to 80% by the end of the decade.
He said Nissan will focus on the Rogue, Pathfinder and Frontier as it increases production and sales in the American market.
The outgoing Rogue and Pathfinder are already built at Nissan’s plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, while the Frontier is produced at the company’s Canton plant. The new-generation Rogue is currently built in Japan, but Nikkei reported that production of the model will likely begin in the U.S. sometime in 2028.
Rogue Production Will Be Key to Nissan’s U.S. Strategy
The Rogue is Nissan’s best-selling vehicle in America, with more than 200,000 units sold last year. Increasing U.S. production of the model will therefore be important as Nissan works to have most of its American sales supplied by domestic plants.
At the same time, Nissan plans to discontinue the Altima in the near future. The model recorded more than 90,000 sales last year and is currently built at the Canton plant alongside the Frontier, meaning some of that production volume will need to be replaced.
Nissan Has More Body-on-Frame Models Planned
Nissan also has several body-on-frame vehicles in development, with some scheduled to arrive by 2030. The new Nissan Xterra is among the models planned.
These vehicles will be based on a shared platform that will also underpin a new Frontier. The Xterra could potentially join the Frontier at Nissan’s Canton plant, although the source does not state that Nissan has confirmed such a production plan.
The shared platform could allow the Xterra and Frontier to use more common components than the larger next-generation Armada, while also helping address some of the production volume lost with the Altima’s discontinuation.
Which Nissan Models Are Built in America?
Nissan currently builds the Rogue, Pathfinder, Frontier and Altima in the United States. The Altima is produced at the Canton plant, where it is built alongside the Frontier.
At Nissan’s Smyrna plant, production includes the Rogue and Pathfinder as well as the Murano, Infiniti QX60 and Infiniti QX65.
Based on Nikkei’s report, Meunier did not appear to discuss increasing the percentage of U.S.-built Infiniti vehicles.
Nissan also manufactures engines for all of these vehicles at its factory in Decherd, Tennessee. The plant also supplies V6 engines for the overseas version of the Nissan Armada, known as the Patrol.
Nissan’s current U.S. production strategy centers on increasing domestic manufacturing, with the company targeting 80% of American-market Nissans being built in the United States by the end of the decade.
