Nissan to Offer Early Retirement at 2 U.S. Plants

New York, July 31, 2008; Jiji Press reported that Nissan Motor Co. said Wednesday that it will offer early retirement at two Tennessee plants to cope with sluggish sales of pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

The Japanese automaker expects to cut about 1,200 jobs over three years through the program that covers about 6,600 hourly and salaried employees at its vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna and at its powertrain assembly plant in Decherd.

The company offered a similar program at the two plants last year.

The company will eliminate the night shift truck production, effective Aug. 11, at the Smyrna plant that assembles the Altima sedan, the Xterra SUV and the Frontier pickup.