According to foreign media reports, Nissan is considering building a third "factory" in the United States by 2030, which may be used to produce electric vehicles. On May 13, Ashwani Gupta, Nissan's chief operating officer, said that according to the "Nissan 2030 vision", Nissan may need a new "factory" by 2030.
Although Gupta did not specify that the new plant would be dedicated to electric vehicles, the background of his discussion revolved around electric vehicles. "From the way we develop, I think we really need a new factory," Gupta said Nissan regards electrification as the focus of future development, which is in line with the localization trend.
Gupta said that once the automotive industry solves the supply chain problems affecting production, demand, especially for electric vehicles, is expected to increase significantly. "It might not be surprising if we announced a new plant in the United States." now that Nissan has turned losses into profits, it's time to start investing in future growth.
Gupta revealed that Nissan needs to be more localized for the following reasons. First, production can respond more quickly to local demand; Secondly, it can also be used as a tool to hedge market uncertainty and exchange rate fluctuations; In addition, localized production also helps the company obtain various incentives.
Gupta said that Nissan's new production plan in the United States may take the form of new factories or expansion of existing production facilities. He did not disclose details such as possible location, time or model. However, he said that the electrification of Infiniti brand will be an important driving force for the company to expand localized production in the United States. "Nissan may build a third new plant or expand its existing plant, and the importance of localized production may increase year by year," Gupta said
At present, Nissan has only two assembly plants in the United States - Smyrna plant in Tennessee and Canton plant in Mississippi. Nissan said earlier this year that it would invest $500 million to build the Canton plant into an "electric vehicle manufacturing and technology center". Nissan Canton plant will increase the production of electric vehicles from 2025, and will produce two new electric vehicles, one is Nissan brand and the other is Infiniti brand.
In addition, Gupta also said on the same day that it was too early to judge whether Nissan would spin off its electric vehicle business like Renault, a member of the alliance. "Due to the diversification of our market portfolio and product portfolio, it is too early to consider it," Gupta said Gupta admitted that as a member of the alliance, Nissan will support Renault's efforts. At the same time, Nissan needs to focus on both electric vehicles and internal combustion engines, including hybrid vehicles.