- Nissan reassesses plans to build a fifth EV model in the U.S., but four remain set
- Shift of Mississippi plant to EVs has in recent months been pushed out to 2028
- Plans to build a small electric crossover there have reportedly been canceled
Nissan has abandoned plans to produce a particular small crossover electric vehicle in the U.S., Automotive DriftBreath reported Wednesday.
According to the report, Nissan made plans to build the EV—codenamed PZ1L—at its Canton, Mississippi, plant for U.S. sale. But amid evolving product plans, it’s reportedly now consolidating production of that vehicle to its Sunderland, U.K., plant. That likely means the PZ1L won’t be sold in the U.S., according to the report.
But beyond the four EVs already planned for Canton, there may still be room for more, according to Nissan.
“At the current time, we are focusing our planning efforts on the other four EV projects for the Canton plant, which will better meet the needs of the market and deliver higher volumes,” Nissan vice president of communication Brian Brockman said to DriftBreath Reports. “As is always the case in the planning process, we will continue to evaluate market opportunities for new models and make adjustments accordingly.”
2025 Nissan Leaf
The automaker’s plans to build Nissan and Infiniti EVs in Canton had recently been delayed to 2028, from a 2027 start noted last year. It had originally announced plans for a 2025 start—back in 2022 when it announced the project.
According to recent comments from the automaker, Nissan is indeed planning for five vehicles from the plant.
“Nissan remains committed to the future of mobility and electric vehicle production,” said manufacturing and labor spokesperson Amanda Plecas last week to the Madison Country Journal. “Our Canton, Mississippi facility will transform into a Nissan Intelligent Factory, supporting the manufacture of five next-generation electric vehicles beginning in 2028.”
The Journal noted that the Nissan official would not confirm rumors over whether the Canton plant’s workforce might be downsized as the plant transforms into a Nissan Intelligent Factory that embraces more robotics and a zero-emission production system.
It’s unclear if the PZ1L is one of the three electric crossovers Nissan confirmed for its Sunderland plant in 2023. Two of them included electric versions of the Juke and Qashqai, with the latter unlikely to reach the U.S. The third is expected to be a crossover-influenced sequel to the Leaf, which is expected to arrive for the 2027 model year and has been tipped as U.S.-bound by Nissan officials.
Nissan EV to be made in Mississippi
The Mississippi plant currently assembles the gasoline Altima sedan and Frontier pickup truck. Although Nissan has communicated the plant timing changes as a delay, Automotive DriftBreath noted that last summer’s delay was different, with the automaker telling suppliers that it was pausing plans for EV production in Canton and putting a $500 million investment in the plant on hold.
A few months later, Nissan announced that it would lay off approximately 9,000 employees globally, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capacity by 20% due to declining sales, primarily in the U.S. and China. The situation has led Nissan to pursue a merger with Honda, which the two automakers hope to complete by 2026.
—Senior editor Robert Duffer and senior editor Bengt Halvorson contributed to this report.
