Nissan to invest $500 million for new electric vehicle line, preserve 2,000 jobs at Canton plant

Nissan is investing $500 million to transform the Canton Assembly Plant to build the company’s new electric vehicle line with production beginning in 2025.

The move will preserve and upskill 2,000 jobs, company officials said during a Thursday morning press conference at the facility near Jackson.

“Nissan is prepared to capitalize (on the interest of electric vehicles) by introducing more EVs and more electrified models to its lineup,” said Ashwani Gupta, Nissan chief operating officer. “With our long-term vision, we will invest $18 billion (internationally) over the next five years.”

Production of the new Nissan and Infiniti electric vehicles is expected to begin in 2025, and Nissan has now invested $13.5 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations, Gupta said.

Gov. Tate Reeves joined Nissan officials in making the announcement before an international audience of visitors and media assembled at the Nissan Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant.

“We are going to work together with (Nissan’s) leadership team to make sure that Mississippi remains the best place, not only in America but the best place on the globe to invest capital and the best place on the globe to create jobs,” Reeves said.

David Johnson, Nissan North America’s incoming senior vice president for manufacturing and supply chain management, said the new electric Nissan and Infiniti models will be produced at the Canton plant and represent a $500 million investment.

Tennessee is home to Nissan's North American headquarters, with corporate offices in Franklin near Nashville, a vehicle and battery plant in Smyrna and a powertrain assembly in Decherd.

Company officials also said batteries for the new electric vehicles and others will be assembled in Canton.

“For nearly two decades, Mississippians have kept our state at the forefront of the world’s automotive industry,” Reeves said. “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 intends to build two of the most scientifically advanced vehicles in the world and will use a Mississippi workforce to do it, Reeves said.

“This creates unique challenges and opportunities for (Nissan) and creates unique opportunities for Mississippi,” Reeves said. “We have proved that we have a workforce that can compete in today’s society. We have proven we have a workforce that can produce products that encourage additional capital investment by companies headquartered in Japan, like Nissan.”

Reeves said Nissan’s investment in the Canton Assembly Plant could also create an opportunity for support industries.

“The fact is there are going to have to be a lot of suppliers that are going to have to consider ways in which to improve their supply chain issues so that they can make sure the parts are here when they are needed,” Reeves said.

The Canton plant opened in 2003 and currently produces the Altima sedan, Frontier, Titan and Titan XD pickup trucks. The facility has a current workforce size of about 5,000.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Electric vehicle line preserving jobs at Nissan plant in Canton