Nissan Motor Co Ltd [7201:JP], a Japanese automaker that was a pioneer in electric vehicles (EVs) with its all-battery-powered Leaf, announced on Monday that it plans to increase its production of electrified vehicles and power trains in the United States, as reported by Reuters on February 28. The company is hoping to catch up in a segment that is currently dominated by newer automakers such as Tesla Inc. Although Nissan was one of the first automakers to offer an all-electric vehicle for sale to the public, it has struggled in recent years alongside many other legacy automakers, who are facing increasing competition from nimbler new entrants.

In order to remain competitive, Nissan is now setting more ambitious goals for its electrified car sales. It aims to have electrified vehicles, which includes its advanced hybrid e-power cars, make up over 55% of global sales by fiscal 2030, up from a previous goal of 50%. The company also plans to introduce 27 new electrified vehicles by fiscal 2026, with 19 of them being all-battery EVs. This is an increase from its previous plan, which was to introduce 23 electrified vehicles, including 15 all-battery EVs. To achieve these goals, Nissan plans to increase its EV production at its Smyrna, Tennessee plant and build electric power trains at its Decherd plant in the same state. In addition, the company is considering adding a second source of batteries produced in the U.S. in order to comply with the Inflation Reduction Act.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/nissan-plans-build-second-us-battery-plant-gupta-says-2023-02-27/
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/02/27/nissan-us-ev-production-inflation-recovery-act-rules/