File Photo: Flatters at a Nissan Automobile Dealership on the US flag Irwin, California, US, 27 March 2025.
Mike Blake | Roots
Nissan motor The new US leader said that the automaker is targeting “Max Out” in its largest American production plant. 25% auto tariff of President Donald Trump.
Christian Munier, who started as the President of Nissan America In JanuarySaid that tariffs are already intensifying the necessary schemes for the automakers to increase domestic production to help in its embossed American operations.
“We have large features, large abilities and we do not have maximum capacity today. We still have more space to improve our capacity,” Meunier told CNBC during a virtual interview on Wednesday. “We are more selling American products, and adjusting, on the way, vehicles that are coming from Mexico and Japan.”
Meunier said that his “final goal” has “Max Out” ability in the 6 million-class-foot facility of the automaker. In Smirna, TennesseeHe said that this facility is capable of producing 640,000 vehicles in a year on three shifts. It last year produced more than 314,500 vehicles on two shifts with around 5,700 people.
“We are looking at the maximum capacity and making Smirna a powerhouse that used to happen,” he said. “This is my ultimate goal … to fulfill the plant and earn a lot of money again.”
Meunier refused to speculate over a time limit to kill the maximum production in the plant, which currently makes four products, which includes the automakers’ Nissan wicked-its top-baked vehicle domestic. He said that it takes time to change the schemes and transfer production.
“We can increase production, as I have described on existing models that we have in the US, and are committed to plans to bring a product in the next two years … or a doubles product in the US market. But it couldn’t be overnight,” he said.
Two days after Trump came to the comments of Meunier, which some vehicle manufacturers are potentially “help”, Companies need time To replace production schemes.
Christian Munier, Executive Officer of the then Chief of Jeep Brand at Stelanis NV, during the 2023 New York International Auto Show (NYIS) in New York, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Stephanie Keith | Bloomberg | Getty images
Along with Nissan Smirna -looking to add hybrid production with new products such as an infinity model, Munier said. He also said that the company is analyzing the increase in production for powertrain components such as engine and domestic content is increasing.
“The good thing is, we have flexibility. We have the ability to accelerate, we will be normally to do things faster,” said the Munier. “I was already working on it before the tariff, because I, I believe that there is a way of localization.”
There are tariffs on imported vehicles in America Since 3 April, Despite Trump’s pullback last week on other country-based levies. Additional 25% tariff on auto parts Settled to be effective by 3 May.
Meunier said that those potential parts tariffs would harm the company and its plans.
“Hopefully there will be solutions that do not hurt completely, completely 25%, because it is so much,” he said. “Hopefully there will be an agreement in the middle.”
Nissan has two assembly plants in Mexico that produce a variety of vehicles, including imports such as Nissan Kick and Nissan Verses. In 2024, Nissan reportedly produced about 670,000 units in Mexico, with more than 456,000 exports, according to which Unotv in Mexico,
On 6 June 2022, Autovormers at Smirna Vehicle Assembly Plant in Nissan in Tennessee. The plant employs thousands of people and produces various types of vehicles including Leaf EV and wicked crossover.
Michael Welland / CNBC
In the US, Nissan says that it has more than 1 million vehicles, 1.4 million engines, 1.4 million forgetting and 456,000 casting facilities capable of producing 456,000 castings. Among that full capacity, the automaker produced about 525,600 vehicles in the US in 2024.
Apart from Smirna, the company has a large powertrain plant in Tennessy and another major vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi.
The Canton Plant currently produces Nissan Ultima sedan and Nissan Frontier Midsize pickup trucks. It employs about 5,000 workers on the same shift for Altima and two shifts for the frontier.
The wicked said that the wicked and pathfinder, as well as the Frontier, who have experienced a significant market share of about 7% to 8% of their section in recent years, are one of the biggest growth capacity vehicles for Nissan in the US, the Munier said.
Nissan reduced pricing In response to tariffs, wicked and pathfinder between $ 640 and approximately $ 2,000 in response to tariffs. This stopped taking new orders from the US for two Mexican-Narcast SUVs for its Infinity luxury brand.
“Nissan has recently struggled a little, but we have a good plan,” he said. “We have a good product in the pipeline. We are now launching super good products that are successful, and we are going to turn it on despite the tariff.”
