Nissan to build two new EV models in Mississippi

Car manufacturer Nissan announced Thursday it will build two new electric vehicle models at its plant in Mississippi. 

The two new Nissan and Infiniti EV models will be built starting in 2025 after the company invests $500 million into its Canton assembly plant, allowing 2,000 workers to be retrained for the transformation. 

“Today’s announcement is the first of several new investments that will drive the EV revolution in the United States,” Ashwani Gupta, chief operating officer of the company, said.

“Nissan is making a strong investment in Canton’s future, bringing the latest technology, training and process to create a truly best-in-class EV manufacturing team,” Gupta added.

By 2030, the company is aiming to have 40 percent of its sales in the U.S. be electric vehicles and to have rolled out 15 all-electric models.

The governor of Mississippi praised the company’s investment in a statement Thursday. 

“For nearly two decades, Mississippians have kept our state at the forefront of the world’s automotive industry,” said Governor Tate Reeves (R).

“The announcement that Nissan Canton is shifting some production to EVs further positions Mississippi as a leader in this crucial economic sector,” he added. 

President Biden has highlighted a number of major EV investments in the U.S. as proof that manufacturing is making a comeback in the country. 

Biden last month hailed General Motors’ nearly $7 billion investment in Michigan as the largest ever in the EV sector, adding it would create 4,000 new jobs.

And speaking earlier this month about a new facility to build EV chargers in Tennessee, Biden said, “We’re seeing the beginnings of an American manufacturing comeback.”

“The world’s at an inflection point, things are going to change in a big way, and this is one of those transition moments,” he added.