Nissan is making significant strides in preparing its Canton plant in Mississippi for the electric vehicle (EV) era. With a pledge of $500 million, the company aims to remodel the facility into its primary hub for EV production in North America.
Since its establishment in 2003, the Canton plant has successfully manufactured over 5 million conventional gasoline-powered trucks, crossovers, and vans. Now, after two decades, the sprawling 4.7 million-square-foot site is being revamped to cater to the production of electric vehicles.
By the middle of this decade, the Canton plant will commence production of the first in a series of battery-electric vehicles for both the Nissan and Infiniti brands. “Canton will be North America’s electrification hub for the next five to six years. That’s where we’re going to bring in the new platforms, the new technology,” stated David Johnson, the production and engineering head of Nissan North America, in an interview with Automotive News.
Having launched the pioneering Leaf hatchback over a decade ago, Nissan possesses substantial experience in EV manufacturing. The Japanese automaker intends to leverage the insights gained from that venture and apply them to the new project, aiming to create competitive battery-electric vehicles that excel in terms of equipment and design. “They’re all new platforms, new technology, and more connectivity,” added Johnson.
For the time being, Nissan does not plan to convert the Canton plant into an exclusive EV facility. Instead, it will continue to produce EVs alongside the gas-powered Altima sedan on one of the factory’s two assembly lines. According to a supplier production schedule, the initial EVs to roll off the Canton line will be two electric sedans in 2026, followed by two electric crossovers in 2027 and 2028.
Interestingly, there appears to be a slight delay in the anticipated production timeline. Although Nissan initially announced that the first EVs would be manufactured in Canton from 2025, information from suppliers indicates a delay of approximately one year. We reached out to Nissan for clarification on the reason behind the delay and will update this article accordingly.
To accommodate the production of these new EV models, Nissan will expand the plant’s physical footprint to incorporate assembly lines for battery packs and other essential components. Johnson refrained from specifying when the Canton facility might transition entirely to electric production, stating, “All new product… that I’ve got visibility to right now in the Canton plant is EV.”
Trials for EV production are scheduled to commence in late 2025 or early 2026, with the arrival of EV production equipment as early as next year to allow ample time for technician training. Nissan plans to retrain the 2,000 production employees on Canton’s Line 2, who will be affected by the shift towards electrification.
Currently, the Canton plant operates at just over half of its annual capacity of 410,000 units.
