Nissan Plans Electric SUV Launch as It Navigates Production Delays

May 22, 2024 01:36 AM EDT

GREY SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE — (Photo : PEXELS/Toms Svilans)

A fresh electric crossover SUV, resembling Nissan's Rogue Sport, is set to launch in the United States. This Nissan Rogue-inspired electric SUV will mark the company's fifth electric vehicle produced at its Canton, Mississippi facility. Although Nissan continues to plan for electric sedans, the rollout of SUVs is anticipated to outpace that of sedans.

Production Delay

This year, Nissan has postponed its EV production in Canton for the second time. Nissan is back at it after postponing its initial plans to start producing electric vehicles at the site in January. According to Electrek, two Nissan electric vehicles were supposed to go into production in June 2026.

Nissan, however, delayed the timetable until November 2026, stating in a statement to suppliers that they "needed to enhance product competitiveness."

Nissan directed suppliers to "stop all development activities related to [the EV sedan] project until further notice," according to a recent memo that Automotive News saw, which Electrek cited.
Nissan said suppliers can anticipate an update in mid-June, but it did not specify a new start date. Moreover, Nissan did not provide a new start date but said suppliers can expect an update in mid-June. One supplier claimed there will be at least six or eight months before Nissan returns with a new plan.

Introducing Nissan Rogue-Like Electric SUV

Electrek report also highlighted that Nissan has revealed plans for a new electric SUV resembling the Rogue. As reported by GlobalData, this upcoming EV, known internally as PZ1L, will share a similar size with the Nissan Rogue Sport and will be the fifth electric vehicle manufactured in Canton.

Alongside this SUV, Nissan's production roadmap includes two new electric sedans-one under the Nissan brand (codenamed LZ1F) and the other an Infiniti model (LZ1E). The production timeline indicated the LZ1F sedan was slated for manufacturing in November 2026, followed by the LZ1E in April 2027.

According to a report by CNN Business, Nissan currently offers two electric vehicle (EV) models in the United States: the Leaf compact hatchback and the Ariya SUV. The company had initially announced intentions to manufacture five new EV models at its Canton facility, including two that were originally slated for production in 2025.

These upcoming models were expected to comprise vehicles from both Nissan and its luxury brand, Infiniti. However, Nissan has now decided to postpone the commencement of production in Mississippi.

In an email statement to CNN, Nissan explained, "We are revising the timeline for the launch of these five new models to ensure their introduction aligns with market demand, thereby optimizing opportunities for our brands and suppliers." These recent delays were first reported by Automotive News.

Despite the setbacks in production timing, Nissan reaffirmed its commitment to introducing a total of 19 EV models worldwide by 2030, as confirmed by a company spokesperson.

Previously, Nissan had disclosed plans to invest $500 million in the Canton factory to ready it for the manufacturing of these new electric vehicles. The plant, which currently employs around 5,000 individuals, is responsible for producing the Nissan Altima sedan, Frontier, Titan, and Titan XD pickups.

Notably, several other automakers have also adjusted their production strategies concerning EVs and EV batteries due to concerns over sluggish consumer adoption. For instance, GM scaled back its production increase for the Silverado EV pickup last year, while Ford reduced the planned capacity of a factory dedicated to manufacturing EV batteries.