Nissan raises its global EV sales targets and will strengthen its presence in the United States

TOKYO, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co Ltd raised its electric car sales targets on Monday and said it would ramp up production of powertrains in the United States as it tries to catch up on a segment dominated by new automakers like Tesla Inc.

The Japanese automaker pioneered electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing with its purely battery-powered Leaf, but has had to battle with many traditional automakers in the face of growing competition from more nimble new entrants.

Nissan is now aiming for electric vehicles, including its advanced hybrid electric cars, to account for more than 55% of global sales by fiscal year 2030, up from the previous target of 50%.

The automaker is planning 27 new electrified vehicles for this year, 19 of which will be battery-electric vehicles, it said in a statement. This figure contrasts with the previous plan of 23 electric vehicles, 15 of which are battery-powered.

In addition to producing electric vehicles at its plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, Nissan plans to build electric trains at its plant in Decherd in the same state to help meet the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act. , COO Ashwani also announced on Monday. Gupta.

Nissan is confident it will comply with the law with its presence from calendar year 2026, Gupta said in an online briefing.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by David Dolan and Christopher Cushing, Spanish editing by José Muñoz in the Gdańsk newsroom)