Nissan is stepping up its American manufacturing footprint, aiming to build 80% of the vehicles it sells in the US at local plants by the end of 2030, according to comments from its top executive for the Americas. The move, reported by Chinese outlet Gasgoo, comes as the Japanese automaker seeks to shield itself from import tariffs and revive its struggling US business.
Christian Meunier, chairman of Nissan's Americas management committee, told a media roundtable that the company has already raised the share of locally produced vehicles from 40% before the US imposed tariffs on imported cars to 65% today. "We were under enormous pressure from the tariffs," Meunier said, explaining that Nissan responded by shifting more models to US assembly and pushing for fuller localization of both vehicles and components.
Nissan currently operates six vehicle and engine plants across the US, Mexico and Brazil. The company is focusing its US production on three core models - the Rogue SUV, Pathfinder SUV and Frontier pickup - which together account for 55% of its US sales. Meunier said the goal is to lift the local production ratio to 80%.
Tariffs reshape Japanese automakers' US strategy
Nissan's push aligns with a broader trend among Japanese carmakers. According to the Nikkei business daily, Honda is in the final stages of talks to build a hybrid vehicle plant in the US, while Toyota plans to invest $1 billion in US production of electric and hybrid vehicles for the North American market.
The tariff-driven shift has been painful for Nissan. Meunier, who took his post in January 2025, said he was shocked to find that Nissan's US retail market share had roughly halved from the 6% to 7% range it had held for years. He said the company is now concentrating resources on its three core models and managing launches, production and cash more tightly to grow share.
In a notable reversal, Nissan has stopped producing the Rogue PHEV (plug-in hybrid) for the North American market, a model launched earlier this year. "Plug-in hybrids have almost disappeared in the US market because the government cancelled the related incentives," Meunier said.
Instead, Nissan plans to launch the Rogue with its own e-POWER hybrid technology in the US in November. Initially the vehicle will be imported from Japan, with US production possible from 2028, Meunier said.
Nissan is also pursuing partnerships to strengthen its position. Meunier confirmed that Nissan and Honda have begun cooperating in some technology areas, and said the company is exploring ways to expand its business scale, including potential alliances with other companies. The comments come as Nissan continues its "Re:Nissan" turnaround plan, though weak US profitability remains a challenge.
