Nissan Plans to Close Oppama Plant and Restructure Domestic Production

Nissan Motor recently announced a plan to maintain an annual production capacity of 1 million vehicles in Japan by reallocating output among its existing plants following the closure of one facility. Under the plan, within the next two to three years, production of certain MPV models currently manufactured at two plants in Fukuoka Prefecture will be shifted to Nissan’s Tochigi plant. The Oppama Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture is scheduled to cease operations by the end of fiscal year 2027. This move forms part of Nissan’s broader global factory closure and restructuring initiative, which involves seven vehicle assembly plants worldwide. After the Oppama Plant shuts down, Nissan’s annual domestic production capacity in Japan will fall to approximately 800,000 units. However, when including vehicles produced on Nissan’s behalf by Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan’s total production capacity in Japan will remain around 1 million units per year. Currently, the midsize MPV Serena is produced at Nissan Kyushu’s plant in Fukuoka Prefecture, while the luxury MPV Elgrand is manufactured at another Fukuoka-based facility, Nissan Shatai Kyushu. Nissan plans to consolidate production of both the Serena and Elgrand at its Tochigi plant. That facility will also produce the Skyline sports sedan—scheduled for launch in winter 2026—as well as electric models such as the Leaf. Nissan stated that this production realignment will not affect employment. Nissan Motor Kyushu will continue producing the X-Trail SUV (sold as the Rogue in the U.S.) and will take over production of the Note compact car and Kicks SUV, previously built at the Oppama Plant. Nissan Shatai Kyushu will keep manufacturing large vehicles, including the Patrol SUV. According to data from MarkLines, Nissan’s Tochigi plant had an estimated capacity utilization rate of 15% in 2025, while Nissan Motor Kyushu’s utilization stood at 61% during the same period. Driven by strong export demand for the Patrol, Nissan Shatai Kyushu’s current capacity utilization has reached 109%. The subsidiary switched its production schedule from two shifts to round-the-clock three-shift operations by the end of 2025. Under Nissan’s recently unveiled “Product Family Strategy,” multiple models sharing common platforms and components will be co-developed. Nissan’s Canton plant in Mississippi, USA, is slated to become the production hub for the large-vehicle product family, while Nissan Motor Kyushu will serve as the center for compact models. Nissan has yet to announce details of a third product family but aims for these three categories to account for 80% of its global sales volume. Including vehicles produced by Mitsubishi Motors under contract, Nissan’s actual domestic production volume in Japan totaled approximately 700,000 units in the last fiscal year. Domestic output in Japan previously exceeded 1 million units in fiscal year 2016.