YOKOHAMA (dpa-AFX) - Nissan Motor Co.'s chief executive reportedly said the company believes it will need to build a new plant in the U.S. in four or five years, when the car maker would be ready for another push to expand.
Normally, that plant would be built in any of the Nafta countries, 'but in the current situation we are more inclined to invest in the U.S.,' said Hiroto Saikawa, Nissan's chief executive, at the Detroit auto show.
President Donald Trump has pressured Japanese auto makers to build factories in the U.S. Last year, Mr. Trump tweeted 'no way' to Toyota Motor Corp.'s plants to import Corollas to the U.S. from an under-construction plant in Guanajuato, Mexico.
Last week, Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. said they would build a $1.6 billion plant in Huntsville, Ala. Toyota's plant in Guanajuato will produce Tacoma pickup trucks, while the Alabama plant will focus on passenger cars.
Separately, INFINITI Motor Company will introduce new vehicles with electrified powertrains from 2021, said Nissan Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa at the Automotive News World Congress today.
INFINITI will offer a mix of pure electric vehicles (EV) and e-POWER vehicles - demonstrating the full range of low-emission vehicle technology available to INFINITI as the premium brand of Nissan Motor Company.
INFINITI expects more than half its global sales to be comprised of electric vehicles by 2025.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX