Nissan, who is at the beginning of a new product launch with a total of five new cars coming in the next 15 months, will be increasing its U.S. production. Its Smyrna, Tennessee plant will produce four models over the next year. Production for the redesigned 2013 Nissan Altima, which goes on sale in June, just began last week. In the coming months, the Smyrna factory will also produce the all-electric 2013 Nissan Leaf (and the batteries that power it) and the redesigned 2013 Nissan Rogue, which will be built in the U.S. for the first time.

Other Nissan models produced at the Smyrna, Tennessee facility include the Frontier, Maxima, Pathfinder, which will be redesigned for 2013, and Xterra. The Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant, which opened in 1992, encompasses 5.4 million square feet and employs about 5,600 people. It expects to add about 1,000 more people later this year so it can increase production of the Altima. For fiscal year 2011, Nissan reported a 23.6 percent increase in sales of the current generation Altima, making it the second, best-selling mid-size car, next to the Toyota Camry.

See the 2013 Nissan Altima full photo gallery.