Nissan delays US production of upcoming electric SUV

After Honda, the second Japanese car manufacturer is adjusting its US plans after the Trump administration prematurely halted the tax credit for electric cars. Nissan will postpone the production of two mid-size electric SUVs to be built at its plant in the US state of Mississippi by up to a year.

This was reported by the Japanese business paper Nikkei, which is usually well-informed about Japanese car manufacturers. Production was originally due to start in 2028, but has now been postponed to the end of 2028 or early 2029. The background to this is the Trump administration’s decision to cancel tax breaks for electric cars and the weak demand.

However, Nikkei does not provide an exact source for the information. Nevertheless, it is likely that the report is correct, as the US subsidiary of Nissan has confirmed in a statement that it will ‘slightly’ adjust its plans for the production of electric vehicles in Mississippi.

The two models are electric crossovers, one of which will be launched under the Nissan brand and one under the premium Infiniti brand. However, this is not the first time that the planning for the two models has been adjusted and pushed back. It was only in April that an internal memo to suppliers revealed that the Nissan model, codenamed PZ1K, was to go into production in January 2028, around a year later than previously planned. The corresponding Infiniti (PZ1J) is to be built from May 2028, four months later than originally planned. The development of two similarly planned electric sedans (one as a Nissan and one as an Infiniti) was completely halted as a result.

Originally, Nissan had even planned to launch five electric models on the US market from 2024, in addition to the four models already mentioned, a smaller electric SUV was also to be developed. However, this project has also been cancelled. Instead, the third-generation Leaf, which has mutated into a compact SUV from the British plant in Sunderland, could be sold in the USA, or a very similar model that has been slightly adapted for the US market.

Just a few days ago, Honda halted the development of a large electric SUV with seven seats for the US market in order to wait and see how the market develops there following the expiry of the US tax credit for electric cars. However, Honda is sticking to its plans for mid-range models in the new 0 Series. And last October, Toyota had already postponed similar plans for a three-row electric SUV from one of its US plants, but only from the end of 2025 to an unspecified date next year.

nikkei.com