agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Nissan CEO Says He Needs More North America Capacity

Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Thursday the automaker needs more capacity in North America to fuel its growth, reported Reuters. Demand for Nissan Rogue sport utility vehicles can be supplied in the short term from plants in Korea and Japan, but longer term “we obviously need more capacity in North America,” ... Read More »

April 6, 2015
2 min to read


Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said on Thursday the automaker needs more capacity in North America to fuel its growth, reported Reuters.

Demand for Nissan Rogue sport utility vehicles can be supplied in the short term from plants in Korea and Japan, but longer term “we obviously need more capacity in North America,” Ghosn told reporters at the New York auto show.

Ad Loading...

Nissan is driving to boost its market share in the United States to a “sustainable 10 percent” by 2017, he said. Nissan, including its Infiniti luxury brand, had a 9.3 percent share of the U.S. market as of the end of March and Ghosn said it aims to keep growing from there.

He did not lay out a timetable for further expansion of North American production, or say whether Nissan would build new plants or increase production within the factories it has.

Ghosn’s signal of further investment in North America comes at a time when several rival automakers have also spoken of plans to add factories or assembly capacity in Mexico, the United States or Canada.

Volvo Cars, the Swedish luxury brand owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holdings, said earlier this week it planned to invest $500 million in a U.S. factory and Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co is considering an expansion of North American production capacity. German automakers Volkswagen AG, Daimler AG and BMW AG have also expanded their U.S. or Mexican production in recent years.

The United States and China are the two largest and most profitable auto markets in the world. As automakers have encountered obstacles in emerging markets such as Russia, India and Southeast Asia, they are turning again toward the United States for growth.

Ad Loading...

On a separate matter, Ghosn said reworking the capital structure of the Renault-Nissan alliance will “take a back seat” to hitting the targets for operating performance he has laid out for the companies. Nissan, for example, is aiming for 8 percent operating profit margins and 8 percent global market share by the end of its 2016 fiscal year in early 2017.

Some shareholders have pressed for Renault to free up capital now held in its 43.4 percent holding in Nissan. The French and Japanese automakers forged their alliance in 1999, when Nissan was near collapse. Now, Nissan’s market capitalization of about $46 billion is larger than Renault’s, which stands at about $27 billion.

More Industry

Photo of two men in suit jackets shaking hands next to new car inside of a dealership
IndustryApril 23, 2026

A New Consumer Culture in the Auto Dealership

Dealers should aim to build a positive work environment, helping employees execute an efficient experience, from their online research to the final delivery of the vehicle.

Read More →
Closeup of the side of an Audi car
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 23, 2026

New-Vehicle Sales Down

A cloudy April forecast was expected due to last April’s sales surge in anticipation of U.S. trade tariff-inflated prices. Meanwhile, automakers pumped up incentives to address today’s consumer wallet woes.

Read More →
Photo of Cadillac Lyriq SUV on road with partly cloudy sky in background
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 16, 2026

Used Autos Selling for More

A recent price spike due to several larger market forces, though it hasn’t dulled demand, is pushing more consumers to efficient models to squeeze in buys.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of facade of Waldorf Toyota car dealership
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 16, 2026

Maryland Auto Group Sells

A group out West picked up the major D.C.-area collection, putting it in the upper tiers of private automotive groups in the U.S.

Read More →
Line graphic showing Cox Automotive's March Credit Availability Index status
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 13, 2026

Auto Lending Opens Up in March

Lenders loosened access for subprime borrowers, and consumers with negative equity reached a record high, Cox Automotive reported.

Read More →
electric vehicle next to an urban charging station. EV Demand Diverges. F&I and Showroom logo
Industryby Lauren LawrenceApril 10, 2026

EV Interest Varies Regionally

U.S. consumer interest in electric vehicles lags behind other countries despite the rising gas prices caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of the rear of a Mercedes GLC 400 electric SUV with a skyline in the background
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 10, 2026

Brands Weighed on Projected Recalls

Research reveals the brands and models most likely to have higher recall rates over their lifetimes. While some brands rank high, addressing safety issues can be a selling point.

Read More →
Photo of white 2026 Ford Bronco on a sandy beach
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 10, 2026

March New-Vehicle Sales Don’t Reflect War

Cox Automotive data shows Americans doubled down on big-is-better despite price increases. Slightly higher incentives helped fuel the demand.

Read More →
Photo of several cars on lifts in a service center
Industryby Hannah MitchellApril 9, 2026

Franchised Dealers Stand to Gain Service Business

Cox Automotive research shows both the opportunities and the challenges in turning consumers’ growing affordability needs into increased fixed-operations revenue.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of office desk with open laptop on it and an empty chair next to it
IndustryApril 9, 2026

What Matters Most in Building Your Agency

The partner you choose for growth and expansion is key, because better is the ultimate goal instead of growth for growth’s sake.

Read More →