Nissan Goes Forward with Leaf US Plant Construction

Nissan continues the construction of its manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee, which will produce lithium-ion batteries for the company's first all-electric vehicle already on sale in the United States. Nissan Leaf will be manufactured at the local plant starting with early 2012, thus supporting Nissan's goal to launch the vehicle in every American state by the end of 2012.

The construction process advances every day and the foundation is already laid, structure being erected and roof being installed. The battery plant will roll out 200,000 batteries per year while the adjacent vehicle assembly plant is scheduled to produce 150,000 electric cars per year. Nissan will invest up to $1.7 billion in the local facility, with $1.4 billion coming in the form of a loan from the US Department of Energy.

"Nissan is making significant strides to be one of the largest producers of electric vehicles and batteries in the United States," said Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Nissan Americas. "We applaud President Obama's goal of bringing 1 million electric vehicles to U.S. roads by 2015 and look forward to doing our part to ensure that many of those vehicles, and the batteries that power them, are built in the United States."

Meanwhile, Nissan struggles to meet Leaf demand, as customers across the United States are complaining that the Japanese brand delays deliveries without providing too much information. Nissan on the other hand says that all customers should get their ordered electric vehicle by summer this year and has already taken the necessary measures for this to happen, including adding overtime to the Japanese plant.