Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant
Built1981 - 1983
Operated1983 - present
Location983 Nissan Drive
Smyrna, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates35°57′50″N 86°29′24″W / 35.964°N 86.490°W / 35.964; -86.490
Products
Employees8,400
Area884 acres (3.58 km2)
Volume6,400,000 square feet (590,000 m2)
Owner(s)Nissan North America, Inc.

The Nissan Smyrna assembly plant is an automobile assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, that began production in 1983[1] and employs approximately 8,000 people.[1] The plant has an annual capacity of 640,000 cars,[1] which was the highest in North America in 2017.[2][3][4]

History

The Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant was announced on October 31, 1980, for the production of Datsun pickup trucks.[5] The company had also considered two locations in Georgia, but ultimately chose the Tennessee site due to its central location within the U.S. automotive market and the ability to transport parts to the site at a lower cost.[6] Construction on the plant began on February 3, 1981.[7] Initially expected to cost $300 million (equivalent to $899 million in 2022[8]),[9] the final cost was $660 million (equivalent to $1.64 billion in 2022[8]).[10] While the plant was under construction, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) constructed Nissan Drive (now part of State Route 102), a four-lane highway which connects the plant to nearby Interstate 24.[10] Construction was completed in 1983, and the first vehicle was produced on June 16 of that year.[11] A dedication ceremony was held for the plant on October 21, 1983.[12]

On May 26, 2010, work began on a battery manufacturing plant onsite for electric vehicles, primarily the Nissan Leaf.[13] This plant became operational in December 2012,[14] and the plant began manufacturing the Leaf the following year, the first electric vehicle to be manufactured in Tennessee.[15] Nissan decided to sell its battery plant to GSR Capital in July 2017.[16] However, this sale did not actually happen and after three delays was canceled in July 2018 as GSR Capital did not pay on time.[17]

Models manufactured

Former

Current

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FACT SHEET: Vehicle Assembly Plant and Battery Plant - Smyrna, Tennessee - Nissan Smyrna Manufacturing and Assembly Plant". Nissan Smyrna Manufacturing and Assembly Plant. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  2. ↑ "Musk's plant makeover even more of a long shot as Model 3 lags". Automotive News. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  3. ↑ "Who makes the most cars in North America? Who has the largest auto factory in the U.S.? Don't be embarrassed, few get it right". DailyKanban. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  4. ↑ "Nissan plant in Smyrna tops nation in production". DNJ. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  5. ↑ Williams, Douglas (October 31, 1980). "Datsun Sets Truck Plant For Just Outside Nashville". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  6. ↑ Sherborne, Robert; Eubanks, Ben (October 31, 1980). "Geography Leads Datsun To Smyrna". The Tennessean. p. 17, 18. Retrieved March 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Nissan U.S.A. Plant Site Dedicated Tuesday". The Rutherford Courier. Smyrna, Tennessee. February 5, 1981. p. 1, 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  9. ↑ "Alexander, Ridley Out-Negotiate Georgia; Nissan Motor Co., Construction To Begin". The Rutherford Courier. Smyrna, Tennessee. November 6, 1980. p. 1, 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Lyons, Gene (September 16, 1984). "Nissan Makes A Stand In Dixie". The New York Times Magazine. p. 80. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  11. ↑ Jarrard, David (June 17, 1983). "Cheers Greet First Smyrna-Built Truck". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 1B. Retrieved March 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Smyrna Nissan plant over the years". The Tennessean. Nashville. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  13. ↑ Poovey, Bill (May 26, 2010). "Nissan Breaks Ground On Leaf Battery Plant". manufacturing.net. Associated Press. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  14. ↑ Reisinger, Brian (December 12, 2012). "Nissan opens $1B Smyrna battery plant". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  15. 1 2 DeGennaro, Nancy (September 7, 2017). "Nissan announces Smyrna Plant to build all-new Nissan LEAF". The Daily News Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  16. ↑ "What does Nissan's exit from battery business mean?". 2017-08-21. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  17. ↑ Kane, Mark (2018-07-02). "Nissan Sticks With AESC, Sale Of Battery Unit To GSR Canceled". InsideEVs. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  18. ↑ Acoba, Paulo (2023-09-06). "Last Nissan Maxima rolls off Smyrna Assembly line, marks the end of 20 years of Maxima production in Tennessee". Alt Car news. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
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