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Nissan U.S. Production Hits 5 Million Mark

29 November 2000

Nissan U.S. Production Hits 5 Million Mark; Frontier Crew Cab is 5 Millionth Vehicle from Smyrna

    SMYRNA, Tenn., Nov. 28 At 8:45 p.m. (CST) last night, a
yellow 2001 SuperCharged Nissan Frontier 4x4 Crew Cab became the 5 millionth
vehicle built at the Nissan North America manufacturing plant here, marking a
milestone in production.
    Nissan's first U.S.-made vehicle, a compact pickup truck, was produced on
June 16, 1983.  Since then, the Smyrna plant has also built Sentra and Altima
sedans, 200SX sports coupes and Xterra sport-utility vehicles.
    For the seventh consecutive year, the Nissan manufacturing facility in
Smyrna has been named as the most productive car and truck manufacturer in the
United States, according to The Harbour Report 2000, an industry benchmark
study.
    "This milestone is remarkable in that we have built sedans, coupes, pickup
trucks and sport-utility vehicles at this manufacturing center while
maintaining high levels of efficiency," said Emil Hassan, NNA senior vice
president of North American Manufacturing, Purchasing, Quality and Logistics.
    In 1992, with the introduction of the 1993 model Nissan Altima, production
volumes increased and plant space in Smyrna was nearly doubled.
    In July 2000, Nissan announced a four-year, $1 billion investment to
expand its powertrain production facility in Decherd, Tenn., and to maximize
production capacity utilization at the Smyrna plant.  The annual production
capacity in Smyrna is 500,000 vehicles.
    On Nov. 9, 2000, Nissan announced a $930 million program to construct an
all-new vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Miss., about 15 miles north of
Jackson.  Production there begins in 2003, and the Canton plant will have a
capacity of about 250,000 vehicles annually.
    With production in Smyrna, in Canton and in Nissan's two manufacturing
plants in Mexico, the company's annual North American vehicle-making capacity
will be about 1 million units.