Nissan is considering Canada as a site for electric-vehicle supply chain investments, in response to Jérémie Papin, chairperson, Nissan Americas.
“Canada is Nissan’s fifth largest market, and we’re fully committed to the country,” Papin said a keynote speaker on the 2023 Automotive News Canada Congress in Toronto. “We now have many options if we’re trying to regionalize the availability chain and Canada is a great place to assemble battery packs and likewise source materials.”
The Japan-based automaker is trying to bolster and regionalize its entire supply chain, especially after recent disruptions that delayed the delivery of latest cars and parts, Papin said.
“There are such a lot of difficulties and tensions in the availability chain, which speaks to our need to construct regionalized, North American-centric supply chains,” he said.
“We’ve done higher at duplicating our sourcing of materials. We at the moment are sourcing closer to where we produce, which ends up in a more stable supply chain.”
Canada, he added, “has plenty to supply after we have a look at easy methods to construct that provide chain and easy methods to get entangled.”
Over the past yr, Ontario and Quebec have drawn billions in EV investments.
Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, for instance, last yr announced plans to construct a $5-billion battery plant in Windsor, Ont., while Volkswagen has singled out Canada because the possible site for its first North American battery plant.
In Becancour, Que., a $500-million cathode production plant is under construction under a three way partnership between GM and Posco Chemical. The brand new facility will supply battery materials to be used in future GM electric vehicles.
“We now have three [vehicle-assembly] plants in Mexico and two in the USA,” said Papin. “If I project five-to-six years out, I don’t see the necessity for one more plant, but there are other ways to grow plenty in Canada and elsewhere.”
Currently, Nissan sells two battery-electric vehicles: the U.S.-assembled Leaf compact hatchback and the Ariya crossover, which is inbuilt Japan.
But, noted Papin, the automaker is planning to affect its entire product lineup.
When asked whether Nissan will launch an electrical pickup, Papin said, “We’re launching plenty of recent products within the marketplace. I imagine a lineup of EVs that appears loads like our current internal combustion engine portfolio. It is smart to compete in all the massive segments of our marketplace.”
In response to sibling publication Automotive News, Nissan is alleged to be exploring a light-weight electric pickup for the U.S. market.