The future of automaking is in Mississippi. See why
For 20 years, Nissan’s factory in Mississippi has brought jobs and prosperity to the city of Canton. The sprawling 4.7 million-square-foot facility is a major boon to the state, directly employing more than 5,000 Mississippians and serving as a crucial component of Nissan’s North American supply chain.
Now, as the auto industry undergoes an historic electric transformation, international automakers like Nissan are investing billions of dollars into new factories and workers capable of producing the vehicles of the future.
Last year, Nissan announced it had chosen Canton to help lead the way. Now equipped with a new $500 million investment from Nissan, the Canton factory is in the process of expanding and upskilling 2,000 jobs to support electric vehicle production.
According to Nissan’s leader of North American production, David Johnson, “Canton will be North America's electrification hub for the next five to six years." Actions like these are a testament to the massive impact international automakers are having on the U.S. economy and workforce. And from the looks of it, international automakers are just getting started.
Annual data collected by Autos Drive America shows that investment into U.S. electrification and green vehicles has been surging since 2020. In fact, international automakers invested an unprecedented $20 billion into electric vehicles last year alone, according to our latest Economic Impact Report (EIR).
As automakers compete to build increasingly efficient and affordable green vehicles, they are investing billions into state-of-the-art facilities and new workers. These employees are receiving top-notch training in the newest manufacturing technologies, setting them up for successful careers in the rapidly evolving automotive industry. On top of this, salaries at international automakers’ facilities often surpass the industry averages for the auto and manufacturing sectors, allowing workers to earn high-paying wages to support themselves and their families.
In 2022, international automakers created 32,000 of these good-paying jobs in the Magnolia State, generating $2.1 billion in total employee compensation. According to the EIR data, Autos Drive America member companies, like Nissan and Toyota, have invested a total of $5.2 billion into the state as of last year, in addition to generating $415 million in state and local taxes.
Numbers like these demonstrate the pivotal role international automakers have played in bolstering Mississippi’s economic and workforce growth. In Blue Springs, Mississippi — where they’ve built the Corolla for more than 10 years — Toyota employs 2,250 people and has invested $1.2 billion in local operations. But the impact extends far beyond Blue Springs, as Mississippi-based suppliers have created an additional 1,700 jobs and invested $200 million to support Toyota’s operations in the state.
Unprecedented investments have also been made across the country, as international automakers have now invested more than $107 billion in U.S. operations, up $6 billion from the year prior. While overall manufacturing employment in the U.S. increased by 3.8% last year, the rate of manufacturing employment for international automakers was triple that figure, as they generated 16,000 new jobs.
This commitment has propelled the U.S. manufacturing sector to new heights, allowing our country to grow stronger and more competitive in the global market. According to the data, international automakers exported 700,000 American-made vehicles to more than 130 countries last year, fortifying the U.S.’s role as a global leader in automotive production.
As our nation stands on the cusp of an electric revolution and manufacturing boom, industrial hubs like Canton and Blue Springs stand out as indispensable catalysts poised to usher our economy into the future. With every new hire, every dollar invested, and every facility opened, international automakers are not just advancing a greener auto industry, but driving forward a new era of economic growth.
— Jennifer Safavian is President and CEO of Autos Drive America.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Nissan Mississippi and future of automaking
