Mississippi-made Nissan EVs set for 2028, as product plans shift

• Nissan reassesses plans to construct a fifth EV model within the U.S., but 4 remain set
  
• Shift of Mississippi plant to EVs has in recent months been pushed out to 2028
• Plans to construct a small electric crossover there have reportedly been canceled

Nissan has abandoned plans to provide a selected small crossover electric vehicle within the U.S., Automotive News reported Wednesday.

In response to the report, Nissan made plans to construct 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 within the U.S., in keeping with the report.

But beyond the 4 EVs already planned for Canton, there should still be room for more, in keeping with Nissan.

“At the present time, we’re focusing our planning efforts on the opposite 4 EV projects for the Canton plant, which is able to higher meet the needs of the market and deliver higher volumes,” Nissan vice chairman of communication Brian Brockman said to Green Automobile Reports. “As is all the time the case within the planning process, we’ll proceed to judge market opportunities for brand new models and make adjustments accordingly.”

The automaker’s plans to construct Nissan and Infiniti EVs in Canton had recently been delayed to 2028, from a 2027 start noted last yr. It had originally announced plans for a 2025 start—back in 2022 when it announced the project.  

In response to recent comments from the automaker, Nissan is indeed planning for five vehicles from the plant.

“Nissan stays committed to the longer term 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 right into a Nissan Intelligent Factory, supporting the manufacture of 5 next-generation electric vehicles starting in 2028.”

The Journal noted that the Nissan official wouldn’t confirm rumors over whether the Canton plant’s workforce is likely to be downsized because the plant transforms right into a Nissan Intelligent Factory that embraces more robotics and a zero-emission production system.

It’s unclear if the PZ1L is certainly 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 achieve the U.S. The third is predicted to be a crossover-influenced sequel to the Leaf, which is predicted to reach for the 2027 model yr 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 News 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 within the plant on hold.

Just a few months later, Nissan announced that it could lay off roughly 9,000 employees globally, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capability by 20% attributable to declining sales, primarily within the U.S. and China. The situation has led Nissan to pursue a merger with Honda, which the 2 automakers hope to finish by 2026.

—Senior editor Robert Duffer and senior editor Bengt Halvorson contributed to this report.