Nissan Reduces Production in Tennessee Due to Aluminum Shortage

The aluminum shortage forced Nissan to reduce production volume at its assembly plant in Tennessee during October, according to a report by AutoNews.

In a message to its suppliers, the Japanese automaker estimated that due to the shutdown of its two production lines on the 24th and 27th, the plant stopped producing around 7,400 vehicles.

The plant produces four high-demand SUVs and crossovers for both the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Among the models affected is the Rogue, its best-selling model in the US market, the report notes.

The email specifies that plans to devote extra time to the production of that model were canceled and that during November, priority will be given to strengthening the inventory of the Murano, Pathfinder, and QX60.

Nissan attributed the change in plans to an aluminum shortage resulting from a fire at a smelter in New York last September, which has also wreaked havoc on Ford and Stellantis' assembly processes.

Aluminum supplier Novelis reported recently that the damaged area of its smelter will resume operations at the end of December. In the meantime, the affected automakers are looking for alternative suppliers to lessen the impact.

In Nissan's case, the uncertainty will persist until a reliable source for the supplement is found. For now, production volume will be determined “day by day,” a source told AutoNews.