First US Built Nissan Engine Goes to Japan

Nissan North America announced yesterday it has finished building the first engine to be shipped to Japan for assembly, making Decherd, Tennessee, the first Nissan plant to export an engine to Japan.

“For 12 years, technicians at Nissan’s Decherd plant have consistently built high-quality engines for vehicles assembled in the United States,” Rick Youngblood, , Nissan - Decherd, plant manager said in a release. “This confirms our ongoing commitment to quality and provides tremendous satisfaction knowing this engine will be in an Infiniti vehicle made in Japan and sold around the world.”

The engine in question is a 5.6l V8, developing 320 hp and 393 lb.-ft of torque, similar to the ones used in the Nissan Titan pickup and Armada SUV. Decker will produce the engine's head, cylinder block and crankshaft. In the end, the engine will be introduced in the next-generation Infiniti QX56 SUV.

“The V8 engine built in Decherd has played a key role in the success of our full-size product lineup in North America,” said Gary Edwards, director of Engineering. “It’s exciting to know the technicians and the engine and parts they build will play an important part in the future of Nissan on a global basis.”

The final fitting of the engine into the car will take place at Nissan’s Shatai Kyushu Manufacturing Plant. Nissan released the facelifted version of the SUV, boasting this engine back in May. Pricing for the current version starts at $56,050, while for the all-wheel drive version the price stands at $59,150.