Nissan aims to expand production in the U.S. with release of new Rogue Hybrid

nissan motors is considering expanding production in the U.S. for the launch of its 2027 Rogue crossover, including a new hybrid model that the company believes will be important to U.S. consumers.

Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier told CNBC: “We are now making the most of our manufacturing capacity in the United States.” “The next step is going to be three shifts, and with the launch of the new Rogue expected in the next few months, I’m pretty optimistic that we’ll be able to do that fairly quickly with the launch of the hybrid.”

The Japanese automaker is currently producing the Rogue in two shifts at its 6 million square foot assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, alongside other Nissan and Infiniti crossovers. It also has another large manufacturing plant in Canton, Mississippi that produces the Nissan Altima sedan and Frontier midsize pickup truck.

Additional production in assembly plants typically means hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs. Nissan’s move comes as the Trump administration focuses on expanding jobs and domestic production in the U.S. auto industry.

Production of the hybrid in the U.S. is expected to begin next year after spring production of the 2027 Rogue with a conventional gas engine begins at the Tennessee plant.

Meanwhile, Meunier said Nissan plans to import hybrid vehicles from Japan as a way to bring them to market faster, increase sales and support the company’s ongoing global restructuring plan.

Meunier said if Nissan were able to add a third shift to each assembly plant, the company’s annual production in the U.S. would increase from about 487,000 vehicles in 2025 to about 1 million vehicles.

Nissan has set a goal of producing 80% of the cars it sells in the United States domestically by 2030, but there are currently no plans for a new factory.

“I think we’re well-equipped to succeed without needing big investments and new factories and everything else, probably beyond 2030,” he said. “We’ll find out in the next four or five years.”

Nissan on Monday officially unveiled the 2027 Rogue for the U.S. with new “e-Power” technology, the first hybrid of its kind for the U.S. market.

The “e-Power” system is called a series hybrid.

The engine is used as a generator to power the vehicle’s electric motor and propel the vehicle. It operates similarly to newer extended range electric vehicles (EREVs), but with a smaller battery and no need for a plug. It also does not use an engine to move the wheels, only an electric motor.

Meunier said that when he returned to Nissan in January 2025 after four and a half years at Jeep, his top priorities were the return of the Rogue Hybrid and Xterra off-road SUVs. This includes making the Rogue Hybrid available twice for the U.S.

Nissan Motor Co. announced Monday that starting prices for the Rogue Hybrid will range from $35,490 for the entry-level model to $43,490 for the “Platinum” version.

Rogue is the company’s sales leader in the United States. It competes with the Rogue in the highly competitive small crossover segment. toyota RAV4 and honda The CR-V has the best-selling hybrid option in its category.

“The hybrid power we’re putting into Rogue will really boost our performance,” Meunier said. “It’s pretty amazing that we’ve been able to grow without hybrids in the U.S. because hybrids are clearly growing in popularity.”

Meunier said Nissan plans to pit the Rogue e-Power directly against the Toyota RAV4. He said that could include an unconventional sales option that would allow potential customers to test drive both cars at Nissan dealers that normally don’t stock Toyotas.

The Rogue Hybrid’s attention comes as Nissan and other automakers have lost billions of dollars on all-electric vehicles due to a decline in regulatory support and weak consumer demand.

Nissan said e-Power is a better solution for U.S. consumers than EVs or traditional hybrids, especially amid rising fuel prices due to the Iran war.

“This will make people look at Nissan differently,” Meunier said. “Many of our customers had never even thought of us until hybrids came on the market.”

Nissan has not disclosed the expected fuel economy of the Nissan Rogue Hybrid. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid gets up to 43 miles per gallon combined, while the Honda CR-V gets 40 mpg combined.

Nissan is renewing its focus on the United States in its global turnaround plan.

Under this strategy, the Japanese automaker intends to streamline its car lineup by eliminating low-performance models and increasing the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The plan includes the company aiming to sell 1 million Nissan-branded vehicles in both the U.S. and China by fiscal 2030, and increasing annual sales in Japan to 550,000 by then.

As for the United States, Meunier said he is pleased with the progress Nissan has made since returning to the company last year.

After several years of weak sales, Nissan’s U.S. sales rose about 10% through the first half of this year, while Cox Automotive reported an industry-wide decline of about 3% over the same period.

“I think the next few months are going to be pretty good. It’s going to be pretty tough, but it’s going to be pretty good,” Meunier said. “December will mark the end of the calendar year.”