Peter Lyon
March 22, 2025
With its three production electric vehicles—the Sakura, Leaf and Ariya SUV, Nissan is one Japanese carmaker that has taken the subject of EVs very seriously—in contrast to Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Subaru and Mazda who currently only offer just one EV each.
Notwithstanding its present financial difficulties, and the recent announcement of Makoto Uchida’s imminent departure as CEO, Nissan just revealed a deal that will use domestically produced batteries in its next US-built EVs. A global battery producer and subsidiary of South Korea’s SK Group, SK On, has agreed to pay $661 million to supply 100 GWh batteries between 2028 and 2033.
The U.S. is now Nissan’s biggest market for vehicle sales, and the move coincides with the Trump administration imposing tough tariffs on imported cars and auto parts. Nissan has committed $500 million to its Mississippi factory, where its next generation of electric EVs using SK On-supplied batteries will be made starting in 2028, while the Ariya EV is currently manufactured in Japan.
With plans to build four more factories, SK On already operates two battery plants in America. After all of its operations are up and running, the supplier expects that its yearly battery production in the U.S. will surpass 180 GWh. It just so happens that this agreement is the first time SK On has partnered with a Japanese carmaker.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
As of right now, not many specifics are known about Nissan’s next family of EVs. According to a March 2024 company plan, about half of the 30 new models the company plans to launch over the next three years will be electric. Nissan confirmed last week that starting in 2028, some of those will be “all-new” EVs manufactured in Mississippi. Would a brand-new Nissan Leaf be among them? We will need to wait and find out.
