Nissan’s Yokohama plant hits 40 million engine production milestone

Nissan has notched a new milestone, this time for engine manufacturing at its Yokohama plant in Japan. The Yokohama Plant, which commenced operations in 1935, two years after Nissan’s founding, has manufactured its 40 millionth engine.

The facility had built its 10 millionth engine in 1976, its 20 millionth in 1986 and its 30 millionth in 1997. Tamiyo Wada, plant manager of the Yokohama Plant, said, "We were able to reach the 40 million milestone thanks to so many customers around the world embracing our cars.”

Launched in 1935 as the first mass production plant in Japan, the Yokohama Plant was designed to incorporate the whole vehicle production process, from parts manufacturing to final vehicle assembly. Today, the plant produces important automotive components, such as engines, electric motors, and suspension parts in three facilities covering approximately 540,000 square metres. To maintain efficiencies and quality output, the plant utilises the Alliance Production Way (APW), which uses a robust quality control system to monitor throughout the production process.

Yokohama Plant: a growth engine

A number of engines made by the Yokohama Plant have left their mark in automotive history. These include the 1979 L20ET, which was Japan's first turbocharged passenger-car engine, and the 1983 VG, the country’s first mass- produced V6 engine. The Yokohama Plant now makes the VR38DETT engine, which is hand-assembled by skilled takumi master craftspeople for the Nissan GT-R. Since 2007 it has produced the VC Turbo — the world's first mass-produced engine featuring variable compression ratio technology.

“The world's first mass-produced VC Turbo engine achieves both high environmental performance and unparalleled power by adjusting the compression ratio,” said Wada.

In line with the shift to electrification at Nissan and also globally, the Yokohama Plant has, since the launch of the all-electric Nissan Leaf in 2010, been also producing motors, including those for e-Power vehicles such as the Nissan Note. In fiscal year 2022, motors accounted for approximately 40% of Yokohama Plant's production.

As the Yokohama Plant approaches its 90th anniversary, it continues to play a leading role in the development of Nissan’s cutting-edge production technology. In addition to producing motors and engines, it also serves as a pilot plant for the development of powertrain production technology that will have global applications.

Next year, a pilot line will be established in the plant to develop all-solid-state batteries.