Nissan Picks Assembly Site for Altima Hybrid

Altima Hybrid to Use Version of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive System

As of late, the North American auto industry has been abuzz with word of new prospects concerning factories and assembly

Nissan selected its Smyrna plant, located in a suburb of Nashville, TN, for production of its first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. (Photo: Nissan Canada)

plants. With Korean giant Hyundai's Montgomery, Alabama plant now complete, and churning out the all-new 2006 Sonata, the focus has shifted to Nissan, which has just announced the assembly location of the brand's first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. After deliberating between Tennessee and Mississippi, Nissan selected its Smyrna plant located in a suburb of Nashville, TN.

Aside from being the first assembly plant which Nissan built outside of Japan, the Smyrna facility will also be the first to build gasoline-electric powered automobiles. It is home to the majority of Nissan's SUVs and trucks as well, including the recently revamped Xterra, Pathfinder and Frontier models, and serves as the plant for North American market Maximas, and regular gasoline-powered Altimas.

To bring the 25 year old facility up to speed with the latest hybrid technology, Nissan will be investing $10.4

Today's hybrid cars most often look much like their gasoline-powered donor cars, while being quieter, more refined and significantly more advanced then their forebears. (Photo: Nissan Canada)

million USD in new equipment and modifications; no additional floor space or expansions to the plant will take place. The investment will also be used to train some of the plant's 6,700 employees in order to build the more efficient Altima.

Since the creation of the first hybrids some five years ago, the entire market has shifted away from quirky, compromising and odd-looking models such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. Today's hybrid cars most often look much like their gasoline-powered donor cars, while being quieter, more refined and significantly more advanced then their forebears.