Nissan plans $500M Canton upgrade

By Courtney Warren

Nissan is amping up its Canton assembly plant with a $500 million investment, positioning it to become a center for Nissan’s United States’ electric vehicle (EV) production. In its announcement, Nissan said it will transform the Nissan Canton Assembly Plant with the latest in EV manufacturing technology to support production of two all-new, all-electric Nissan and Infiniti EV models.

The $500 million investment will involve preserving and upskilling nearly 2,000 jobs, with production expected to begin in 2025.

“The fact that Nissan is transitioning from the use of fossil fuel to electricity is a great technological step forward,” said Canton Mayor William Truly. “This is the direction our nation is going to actually go to a greener climate. I think that going in this direction certainly helps with climate change. It’s an investment in the city of Canton and in our citizens here in Mississippi. It gives them an opportunity to learn new technical training while being a part of this new technology.” 

“We are delighted to be a part of the technological revolutionary change,” continued Truly. “It’s in the best interest of our citizens and our state. I’m hoping that Nissan can bring in our high school kids in the training program, so that, upon graduation, they can be involved in this.”

“Nissan is a company that studies the market,” said Canton’s Joy Foy, a former economic developer with the Mississippi Development Authority. “That was true when they chose Canton some twenty-plus years ago.  The Nissan personnel looked at labor, existing industry’s level of support from the local economic development office, the proximity to good roads, and a host of other variables.  This move shows to the world that they are still working to be ready for the market demands of the future.”

Nissan’s investment is supported by strong partnerships with state, county and local governments.

“For nearly two decades, Mississippians have kept our state at the forefront of the world’s automotive industry,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “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.”

The announcement supports Nissan Ambition 2030, calling for twenty-three electrified models for the Nissan and Infiniti brands globally, including fifteen all-electric vehicles, by 2030.
Ambition 2030 will deliver exciting, electrified vehicles and technological innovations. Taking account of critical environmental, societal and customer needs, Ambition 2030 underpins the company’s aim to empower mobility and beyond for a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world.

Nissan has set the goal to achieve carbon neutrality across the company’s global operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050 by pursuing further innovations in electrification and manufacturing technology. As part of this effort, Nissan is targeting forty percent of its U.S. vehicle sales volume to be fully electric by 2030, with even more to be electrified.

Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant is celebrating nineteen years of manufacturing operations in 2022. The plant employs approximately 5,000 people and has built nearly five million vehicles since opening in 2003. The plant currently builds four models: Altima, Frontier, TITAN and TITAN XD.

With this announcement, Nissan now has invested $4 billion in the facility. The company has invested more than $13 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations collectively.