Nissan Backtracks On U.S. EV Push News of Nissan's EV push around the world is getting the industry buzzing. Despite struggles and restructuring, the Japanese brand was still able to launch new products, such as the improved Leafand a rumored Nismo version of the EV. Apart from that, the brand's also making a few moves around the performance car segment, fielding improvements to the Z and making a bit of noise for upcoming models like the next-generation GT-R and some murmurs about the Silvia.However, when it comes to pushing for EV manufacturing in the U.S., it looks like the Japanese automaker is scaling back. Nissan Motor Co. told its U.S. suppliers on April 30, 2026, that it's dropping its plans to build electric vehicles in Mississippi, Automotive News reports. Back to Gas The brand is going back to manufacturing good-old gasoline-powered trucks in its plant. The company plans to produce a range of truck-based models at its 4.7-million-square-foot assembly line in Canton, Mississippi.While it won't manufacture pure EVs in Mississippi anymore, Nissan is still planning to make electrified cars here, with the Xterra slated for U.S. production. The move comes in response to market and customer demands. While EVs are making headlines around the world, Nissan believes that market conditions, customer demand, and its strategic direction are more aligned with what the Xterra delivers: an affordable, electrified SUV.Apart from the planned revival of the Xterra, the Canton, Mississippi, plant also produces other Nissan models such as the Frontier pickup truck and the Altima sedan. The body of a 2016 Nissan Motor Co. Altima mid-size vehicle moves on the assembly line at the company's North America manufacturing plant in Canton, Mississippi, U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016. The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to release durable goods figures on September 28. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg/Getty Images $500,000 Plans Canceled Five years ago, in 2021, Nissan announced plans to invest in and retool its Canton plant to manufacture EVs. Batteries for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles were slated for manufacturing here. Nissan's goal was to sell 200,000 EVs in the U.S. by 2028; however, that may no longer be the case.The new direction will see the Canton, Mississippi, plant make a new body-on-frame platform, starting with the Xterra. Slated for debut in late 2028 for the U.S. market, the model will then be followed by a new three-row SUV, the New Nissan Frontier. The move isn't just strategic but also cost-effective for the brand, as both models will share the same underpinnings, along with at least five more models.Nissan's EV sales in the U.S. are less than optimal, prompting the brand to roll back several models and rethink its lineup. One casualty is the Nissan Ariya, which is set to be discontinued later this year.However, Nissan executives remain hopeful in the U.S., citing it as one of the keys to its recovery. The brand is targeting about 1,000,000 annual sales in North America by early 2031. Localized production is one key to helping the brand achieve its goals as we move into the latter half of this decade. Nissan's Not The Only One Other brands are also reeling back on their EV pushes. It's not just Nissan, but even some Chinese brands are dialing things back. Given that new Geely models are more efficient than ever, it stands to reason that there is at least some pushback from the market as the EV sector grows more aggressive by the day. On top of that, development for ICEs is still ongoing, albeit as assistants or partners to electric motors.Nissan will likely continue to push its electrified e-Power powertrains in the coming years, with perhaps less emphasis on EVs. Still, however, the brand was able to move forward with solid-state batteries recently, so we'll still see electric models from the brand in the future, don't worry.
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