This press release was issued by NNA on Nov. 28(local time).
NISSAN U.S. PRODUCTION HITS 5 MILLION MARK
Frontier Crew Cab is 5 Millionth Vehicle from Smyrna
SMYRNA, Tenn. (Nov. 28, 2000) -- At 8:45 p.m. (CST) last night, a yellow 2001 SuperCharged Nissan Frontier 4x4 Crew Cab became the 5 millionth vehicle built at the Nissan North America manufacturing plant here, marking a milestone in production.
Nissan's first U.S.-made vehicle, a compact pickup truck, was produced on June 16, 1983. Since then, the Smyrna plant has also built Sentra and Altima sedans, 200SX sports coupes and Xterra sport-utility vehicles.
For the seventh consecutive year, the Nissan manufacturing facility in Smyrna has been named as the most productive car and truck manufacturer in the United States, according to The Harbour Report 2000, an industry benchmark study.
"This milestone is remarkable in that we have built sedans, coupes, pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles at this manufacturing center while maintaining high levels of efficiency," said Emil Hassan, NNA senior vice president of North American Manufacturing, Purchasing, Quality and Logistics.
In 1992, with the introduction of the 1993 model Nissan Altima, production volumes increased and plant space in Smyrna was nearly doubled.
In July 2000, Nissan announced a four-year, $1 billion investment to expand its powertrain production facility in Decherd, Tenn., and to maximize production capacity utilization at the Smyrna plant. The annual production capacity in Smyrna is 500,000 vehicles.
On Nov. 9, 2000, Nissan announced a $930 million program to construct an all-new vehicle assembly plant in Canton, Miss., about 15 miles north of Jackson. Production there begins in 2003, and the Canton plant will have a capacity of about 250,000 vehicles annually.
With production in Smyrna, in Canton and in Nissan's two manufacturing plants in Mexico, the company's annual North American vehicle-making capacity will be about 1 million units.
# # #
NISSAN U.S. VEHICLE PRODUCTION
| YEAR | Truck / Frontier |
Sentra / 200SX |
Altima | Xterra | Annual Total |
Cumulative Total |
| 1983 | 19,9791 | 19,979 | 19,979 | |||
| 1984 | 100,510 | 100,510 | 120,489 | |||
| 1985 | 107,388 | 43,8242 | 151,212 | 271,701 | ||
| 1986 | 108,115 | 65,147 | 173,262 | 444,963 | ||
| 1987 | 102,718 | 117,333 | 220,051 | 665,014 | ||
| 1988 | 95,920 | 109,897 | 205,817 | 870,831 | ||
| 1989 | 123,056 | 115,584 | 238,640 | 1,109,471 | ||
| 1990 | 139,399 | 95,841 | 235,240 | 1,344,711 | ||
| 1991 | 131,519 | 133,505 | 265,024 | 1,609,735 | ||
| 1992 | 128,924 | 119,236 | 52,3273 | 300,487 | 1,910,222 | |
| 1993 | 93,790 | 136,619 | 155,563 | 385,972 | 2,296,194 | |
| 1994 | 131,954 | 139,259 | 173,395 | 444,608 | 2,740,802 | |
| 1995 | 132,552 | 168,712 | 164,522 | 465,786 | 3,206,588 | |
| 1996 | 136,162 | 136,155 | 141,714 | 414,031 | 3,620,619 | |
| 1997 | 118,798 | 115,576 | 163,934 | 398,308 | 4,018,927 | |
| 1998 | 86,104 | 60,4605 | 162,273 | 308,837 | 4,327,764 | |
| 1999 | 99,123 | 15,0026 | 152,541 | 57,9047 | 324,570 | 4,652,334 |
| 2000* | 100,397 | 129,118 | 91,388 | 320,903 | 4,973,237 | |
| Totals | 1,956,408 | 1,572,150 | 1,295,387 | 149,292 | 4,973,237 | 4,973,237 |
Notes:
* Through Oct. 2000
1 - Launch June 16
2 - Launch March 25
3 - Launch June 11
4 - Launch Nov. 9
5 - 200SX discontinued June 1998
6 - Sentra production shifted to Mexico in March 1999
7 - Launch April 19