Smyrna Nissan Plant Produces 14 Millionth Vehicle
A Scarlet Ember Tincoat 2021 Nissan Rogue was the 14 millionth vehicle to roll off the assembly line at the automaker’s Smyrna plant in Tennessee. Nissan sees this as more than a landmark achievement — it’s a symbol of the company’s dedication to investing in American manufacturing. Here’s a look at what it took to achieve this milestone.
Made in Tennessee: Check out the Nissan Rogue
An American-made success story
The Smyrna plant is Nissan’s first U.S. assembly plant, and since 2014, it’s made a name for itself as North America’s highest-volume automobile assembly plant.
“Since the first vehicle, a white Nissan pickup truck, rolled off the line in 1983, 14 million high-quality vehicles have been assembled for customers in America and around the world,” Jeff Younginer, vice president of manufacturing at the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant, stated in a press release.
The Smyrna plant is responsible for assembling six popular models. The Pathfinder, Rogue, Murano, Maxima, LEAF, and Infiniti QX60 all hail from the automaker’s perpetually busy Tennessee plant.
“This milestone not only underscores the success of our vehicles but the dedication and capability of more than 7,000 hardworking men and women who walk through these doors every day,” said Younginer.
History of the Smyrna plant
Back in 1980, Nissan announced its intention to base an assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. Ground-breaking didn’t begin until 1981, and just two years later, the first vehicle rolled off the plant’s assembly line. It was a white pickup truck, produced under the Datsun name. The plant produced the automaker’s first U.S.-built sedan, a Sentra, in 1985. The Altima followed in 1992, the Frontier in 1997, and the now-defunct Xterra in 1999. Smyrna become the home of the Maxima in 2003, and the Pathfinder in 2004. 2012 turned out to be a big year for Smyrna, since it marked the beginning of LEAF and QX60 production at the facility. Since 2013, Smyrna has served as the producer of the perennially popular Rogue. On top of that, the Murano has been proudly made in Tennessee since October of 2020.
In terms of productivity milestone, the vehicles one-millionth model left the factory in 1989, just six years after the plant’s first truck was made in 1983. The year 1993 heralded the plant’s second-millionth vehicle. It hit 5 million vehicles at the turn of the century, and achieved the 10-million mark in 2013.
Built in America Since 1985: Choose a Nissan Sentra
If you’d like to learn more about the Smyrna plant, check out our other articles on it here.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.