The Trump Administration’s tariffs have sent automakers into a frenzy as they work to mitigate their impacts, but Nissan is using the opportunity to boost its U.S. production efforts. The automaker recently sent a memo to suppliers, saying it planned to increase Rogue production in Tennessee by more than 50 percent.
Nissan said it would build 172,533 Rogues at its Smyrna, TN factory, an increase of more than 60,000 units over the automaker’s pre-tariff projections. While that’s a good thing for American autoworkers, it threatens to cause pain for Nissan’s Japanese operations as it shifts the production volume to the United States.
The automaker plans to ramp up Rogue production in June, a reversal from its previous plans, which involved shipping much of the next-generation Rogue’s production to Japan, where costs are lower. The change will allow Nissan to hire more workers in the U.S., which could buoy its hiring at its other factory in Mississippi. Nissan suppliers have also had to hire more workers to adjust to the increase.
The Rogue is Nissan’s most important model, but the automaker’s sales have dipped recently, falling by around 40 percent since 2018. Nissan wants to push Rogue sales back toward the 300,000 mark and wants the upcoming Rogue Hybrid to account for a significant portion of those sales.
[Images: Nissan]
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