Nissan Motor Co. is preparing to ramp up manufacturing capacity in the United States as it introduces the 2027 Rogue crossover, which will include a new hybrid variant. Christian Meunier, chairman of Nissan Americas, confirmed to CNBC that the automaker is currently operating at maximum production limits in the country and is optimistic about quickly adding a third shift.
The Japanese automaker currently runs two production shifts at its 6-million-square-foot facility in Smyrna, Tennessee, where it assembles the Rogue alongside other Nissan and Infiniti crossovers. A potential third shift could create hundreds or even thousands of new jobs. Nissan also operates a major assembly plant in Canton, Mississippi, which produces the Altima sedan and Frontier pickup truck.
Meunier noted that the introduction of the hybrid model could accelerate the timeline for implementing a third shift. If Nissan successfully adds a third shift at each of its U.S. plants, annual production could rise to approximately 1 million vehicles, nearly doubling from the roughly 487,000 units produced in 2025.
U.S. manufacturing of the hybrid version is scheduled to begin next year, following the spring launch of the gasoline-powered 2027 Rogue at the Tennessee plant. In the interim, Nissan plans to import hybrid models from Japan to meet immediate demand and support its global turnaround strategy.
The expansion aligns with the Trump administration’s focus on boosting domestic employment and auto industry production. Nissan has set a target to manufacture 80% of vehicles sold in the U.S. domestically by 2030. However, Meunier stated that the company does not currently plan to build a new factory, believing existing facilities are sufficient for the near term.
Monday’s debut marked the official U.S. unveiling of the 2027 Rogue equipped with Nissan’s “e-Power” series-hybrid technology. The system uses the internal combustion engine solely as a generator to charge the battery and power electric motors that drive the wheels, eliminating the need for plug-in charging while operating similarly to extended-range electric vehicles.
Meunier, who rejoined Nissan in January 2025 after spending four and a half years with Jeep, identified the hybrid Rogue and the return of the Xterra off-road SUV as his top vehicle priorities.
Is four hundred thousand really the max capacity? Doubling output sounds ambitious. I wonder if supply chain constraints will actually allow this?
I didn’t know Nissan was using a series hybrid where the gas engine just charges the battery. That is genuinely clever engineering!
Great news for Tennessee jobs. Hopefully, the third shift brings lasting employment and not just temporary gains for the next election cycle.