Nissan May Build Murano Crossover in Tennessee

Nissan Motor Co. plans to shift production of its Murano midsize crossover vehicle to its Smyrna, Tenn., factory from Kyushu, Japan in 2014, according to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.

The Tokyo-based newspaper says the Kyushu plant ships 70% of its Murano output to the U.S. The crossover rides on the same platform as the Altima and Maxima sedans already made in Tennessee.

Nissan and other Japanese carmakers are moving production from Japan to buffer themselves from the strong yen. Nissan has already said it will build the next-generation Rogue compact crossover vehicle in Smyrna, starting in the 2014 model year.