MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- Already one of Middle Tennessee’s largest employers, Nissan continues to expand its footprint in the mid-state.
The Franklin based company announced Tuesday that by early next year its North American manufacturing capacity will pass the two million mark.
Production of a new 4-cylinder gasoline engine at the Nissan plant in Decherd, Tennessee is helping push the company past that milestone. The Franklin County plant is set to begin turning out an additional 250,000 engines per year.
Nissan also announced Tuesday that a growing number of vehicles built in Tennessee are being shipped overseas. In early August, the company shipped more than 900 Pathfinders to Australia and New Zealand. The Smyrna plant now exports Nissan vehicles to 61 markets worldwide.
Nissan now employs about 7000 workers at its Smyrna plant alone. The company began hiring an additional 900 workers in June to build its new Rogue small SUV beginning this fall.