What's The Meaning Of Made In America In 2025?

That subtext applies not just to Nissan (and its luxury arm, Infiniti) but to all automakers that build cars in the United States -- and arguably, to all carmakers that simply sell in the United States.

By now you've probably figured out I am referring to tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump. Tariffs that have been enacted on cars and car parts built overseas and even in neighboring Canada and Mexico. Tariffs that are hitting automakers that use complex supply chains. Tariffs that are slapped on automakers that might have their global headquarters overseas but have plants in America -- and who employ white-collar workers in offices right here in the U.S.

So it was no surprise that Nissan reached out and invited a mix of traditional automotive journalists and influencers to Nashville to see some of the company's presence in north-central Tennessee. Just as a reminder that even foreign-based automakers have presence in the States.

I knew this. You, the industry observer, probably knew this. The Smyrna plant, which we toured, is almost as old as I am. But perhaps, as tariffs have been the subject of debate, Nissan wanted to get the message out to a broader audience.

Oh, and we all drove various Nissan and Infiniti products to and from each stop.

Again, the presence of Japanese and European automakers in the U.S. goes back a while, although the plant-building boom across the union-hostile South is relatively recent. Smyrna has been around since the Reagan years, and Hondas have been pumping out of Marysville, Ohio, since before I discovered the joys of car magazines as a pre-teen, but some other plants wouldn't yet be old enough to drink.

I won't bore you with a listing of all the foreign-owned plants, both union and non, in the U.S. Presumably you have Google. Some of the more notable are Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Kia's plant in Georgia, and the Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai plants in Alabama. And Smyrna has long come to mind when asked for an example of a foreign-owned plant in the States.

So it figured that Nissan would give us a tour of Smyrna. And, later, its engine plant and training center in nearby Decherd.

(Full disclosure: Nissan arranged for lodging and meals for two nights and took care of airfare. We also got private tours of the old RCA Studio and the main Jack Daniels distillery. Some swag was sent to my house.)

We started our whirlwind trip with a short tour of the old RCA Studio on Nashville's Music Row -- yes, Elvis recorded there. Then it was off to dinner at local hot-chicken haunt Hattie B's, where yours truly embarrassed himself by digging into the hottest chicken on the menu, immediately turning redder than a fire truck.

That was the appetizer. Come morning, the hot chicken had been sweated out and with fog descending on Nashville we were handed the keys to various Nissan products and sent off to Smyrna. That's the final assembly place of the current Rogue, Murano, Pathfinder, and Infiniti QX60.

Assembly plant tours are hard to write about -- most plants, regardless of the OEM, follow similar assembly and safety procedures. There are some variations that the given automaker will say help with quality, or safety, or efficiency, but in general the processes are pretty similar. Robots and humans work together to piece a car together.

That's not to say it's not fascinating. I've done five-10 plant tours and it's never not interesting. Watching pieces of sheetmetal and glass and plastic eventually turn into a working vehicle never gets old.

Smyrna opened in the fall of 1983, and it was even briefly the place where the Nissan Leaf was built -- the first plant in Tennessee to build an EV. Leaf production has since moved.

Following our tour, we had a chance to pick plant executives' brains about topic such as how they got through Covid -- reduced personnel, masking, and personal distance -- and what they do with workers who end up on temporary furloughs (they find them some sort of work in the plant). The topic of unionization came up -- an exec said unions aren't necessary if the pay is right and the worker is treated well. That's true, but I'd also point out that unions exist, in theory, to make sure workers are paid fairly and treated well. The average pay at Smyrna, by the way, seems fair for a low-cost of living area. Especially for experienced line workers, who would be just shy of six figures in a year, pending overtime and any bonuses. Entry-level types are a bit closer to the national average.

Nissan invited us to see two of its Nashville-area plants not just because of tariffs. The brand was also reminding us that U.S.-built vehicles get to dealers sooner, reducing delays and possibly costs. The plants provide local jobs, of course -- we were told Smyrna was pretty rural before the plant came along and retail sprung up around it. Nissan also emphasized that the vehicles built at Smyrna and engines built at Decherd were high-quality.

We can't judge that -- let J.D. Power do it -- but we did see the on-site quality-assurance folks doing their jobs.

What I can judge, as an aside, is that the Rock Creek trim on the Rogue doesn't sacrifice much in terms of on-pavement ride despite its off-road mission.

Like I said, plant tours are hard to write about, especially for an audience like ours -- you folks have a sense of how it all works. And, of course, OEMs are putting their best face forward and keeping journalists away from trade secrets -- and negative PR. Sneaking off like Austin Powers isn't an option.

Which is why, background aside, I am spending less time on specifics such as "Nissan uses X amount of steel for body stamping" and more on the overall state of the American automotive assembly industry. Especially in light of the political situation.

There are about 55 light-vehicle assembly plants in the U.S., operated by around 20 automakers. That figure doesn't include engine and body plants or EV battery plants. As noted above, many of the cars assembled here are built by automakers based overseas. Meanwhile, there are plenty of plants in Mexico and Canada, some of which are operated by the Detroit Three U.S.-based OEMs.

We've also noted before that the supply chain is complex, to the point that even OEMs struggle to track the origin of parts. Even cars built in the U.S. sometimes use parts sourced from overseas. All of which makes the imposition of tariffs complicated.

It was hard to tell by talking to Nissan folks, regardless of their job or political leanings, if the purpose of our trip was to subtly remind President Trump that foreign OEMs have a strong a presence in the States and/or to suggest that tariffs will negatively impact the bottom line. Whether Nissan was pushing a subtly anti-tariff message or not, it was clear that the company is proud of what it's done in the States.

It also strikes me that the message wasn't aimed at Washington, perhaps, but the average car buyer. Maybe a Tennessee-built Rogue could be said to undercut a Canadian-built Toyota RAV4* in price due to tariffs.

*Yes, I know some RAV4s are built in Kentucky and others in Japan. It's just an example, please don't @ me.

Nissan isn't the first automaker to try to attract customers by showcasing American-built product, although the political climate is just a tad bit different than when "Made in USA" clothing ads ran on TV in the 1990s and early Aughts. And, as we've noted ad nauseum, the supply chain and production pipeline is complex.

I suspect most car buyers either know this or don't care -- while some still want to buy American most are more concerned about price, safety, performance, fuel economy, styling, and resale value. Price, especially, matters in a time when new cars are becoming unaffordable and average transaction prices are sailing past $50K.

Still, I get why Nissan -- or any OEM, include a Detroit-based one -- would want to remind media, and through us, buyers, about the cars and parts that they build in America. Obviously, tariffs are hovering over everything here, even if consumers have yet to feel any negative pricing effects, but there's more to it than that.

Buying American, when it comes to cars, isn't a simple action, thanks to complex supply chain and production process. If that matters to you, you'll have to do your research. How much meaning there is to "buying American" when production can take a vehicle across an international border multiple times, is something you may have to figure out for yourself.

Perhaps our politicians could use that lesson, too.

[Images © 2025 Tim Healey/TTAC.com]

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