Nissan To Build Ford ‘Rogue’ SUV In Tennessee?
Nissan is looking for customers, but not car shoppers. The automaker is reportedly talking to several automakers about building SUVs for them based on an upcoming model.
Nissan is working on a next-generation Rogue compact SUV that’s set to launch in 2027 with a new hybrid powertrain. The Rogue is and will be built at its Smyrna, Tenn., factory.
Sources tell Automotive News, Nissan is talking to Ford and Stellantis, among others, about supplying the platform for their own vehicles.
The current Mitsubishi Outlander is based on the Rogue platform, but manufactured in a Mitsubishi factory in Japan.
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Ford is discontinuing the Escape and Lincoln Corsair at the end of this year in order to convert the Louisville, Ky., factory that builds them into an assembly plant for an upcoming low-priced electric pickup.
Ford has yet to confirm what models will replace them, but its only other small SUV is the Bronco Sport, which is a size class below them.
Stellantis-owned Jeep just unveiled its own 2026 Cherokee hybrid, but Chrysler is currently without a vehicle in the class. Dodge offers the Italy-built Hornet, but it has been a slow-seller and is also a bit smaller than most models in the compact SUV segment, which is the largest passenger car segment in the U.S. Nissan’s U.S. manufacturing location could be appealing to a number of automakers as it would exempt the vehicles from any import tariffs.
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Nissan is in the middle of a restructuring that may include bringing much more production to the U.S. Its North American chairman recently said it could expand the number of models being built at its Canton, Miss., factory to include a new Xterra SUV along with the Armada and Infiniti QX80, which are made in Japan today.