SMYRNA, TN – Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. plans to start producing electric vehicles in the United States, according to a statement by the automaker.

Under the plan, Nissan will build electric-car assembly lines at a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, the location of Nissan North America Inc.'s headquarters. Nissan says it is committed to being a leader in zero-emissions mobility and will offer electric vehicles in the United States and Japan beginning in 2010. The first vehicles for the U.S. market will be built in Japan before production is shifted to Smyrna.  

"Nissan is confident that the Smyrna employees have the skill and dedication to take on this critical role in Nissan's future by launching a new form of transportation in the United States," said Susan Brennan, vice president, in charge of manufacturing at Smyrna, in a company statement. "This opens a new chapter in Nissan's 26-year manufacturing history in America."

The modifications of the Smyrna manufacturing plant include a new battery plant and changes in the existing structure for electric-vehicle assembly. When fully operational, the vehicle assembly plant will have the capacity to build 150,000 zero-emissions vehicles a year and the new plant will have an annual capacity of 200,000 batteries.

Nissan's electric vehicle will comfortably seat five people, drive on any American road or highway and have an initial range of 100 miles before recharging, said the automaker.