Nissan plant in Tennessee produces 3 millionth Altima

Nissan North America produced its 3 millionth Altima on August 9 – 15 years after the first Altima rolled off the line at the Smyrna (Tenn.) Plant.

"The Altima plays an important role in Nissan's lineup, and we put a lot of discipline and skill into building each one," said Greg Daniels, senior vice president for U.S. manufacturing. "The Altima provides our customers a lot of value for the money, and we're committed to providing them with a high level of quality as well."

The Altima Sedan, currently Nissan's best-selling nameplate, is part of a lineup that includes the Altima Hybrid (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and the all- new 2008 Altima Coupe. Built on Nissan's "D" platform, the 2008 Altima Sedan offers dramatic exterior styling, a well-equipped interior and a choice of the award-winning VQ-series 3.5-liter V6 or the 2.5-liter four-cylinder backed by a six-speed manual or Nissan's advanced Xtronic CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

Altima models are assembled at two Nissan assembly plants in the U.S. – in Smyrna, Tenn., and Canton, Miss. The Smyrna Plant produces approximately 750 Altimas a day, and the Canton Plant makes about 600 Altimas daily. In addition to the Altima, the Smyrna Plant produces the Nissan Frontier truck, Nissan Pathfinder and Nissan Xterra sport utility vehicles and the Nissan Maxima sedan. The Canton Plant also assembles Nissan Titan full-size trucks, Nissan Armada full- size sport utility vehicles, Nissan Quest minivans and Infiniti QX56 full-size luxury sport utility vehicles.

The Smyrna Plant also produces all the Altimas that are exported outside the U.S. – to markets such as Canada, Mexico or Gulf Coast Countries. Approximately 20,000 Altimas have been exported from Smyrna in the first seven months of this year.

Last month, on July 23, Nissan's U.S. plants passed another milestone, producing the 9 millionth vehicle. Since Nissan first started assembling vehicles in the United States in June 1983, the company has produced 9.02 million vehicles to date.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.

  Key dates

  June 11, 1992        First Altima Sedan produced in Smyrna, Tenn.

  June 14, 2004        First Altima Sedan produced in Canton, Miss.

  Dec. 11, 2006        First Altima Hybrid produced in Smyrna

  April 30, 2007        First Altima Coupe produced in Smyrna

  Aug. 9, 2007         3 millionth Altima produced