Nissan to close the first factory it opened overseas

Nissan has confirmed it will close its CIVAC factory in Mexico, the company’s oldest plant outside of Japan, by March 2026.

CIVAC, which is in the city of Cuernavaca around 80km south of Mexico City, currently produces the Versa sedan, as well as the ‘D23’ Navara, which is sold in Mexico as the NP300 two-door and Frontier four-door. Production of these vehicles will be moved to the company’s plants in Aguascalientes about 550km away.

Opened in 1966, CIVAC’s first production model was the Datsun Bluebird. A second line dedicated to making utes was added to site in 1975, and an engine plant became operational in 1978.

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By 1988 Nissan had become the number one car brand in Mexico — a position it clings to to this day — and in 1993 the factory had the honour of exporting the country’s first car to Japan, the Tsubame wagon.

Since its inception the plant has produced 6.5 million cars, most of which were sold in Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America, and the Gulf States.

Perhaps the most famous model made in Cuernavaca was the Tsuru (bottom), which was known in most markets as the Sentra. The third-generation ‘B13’ Tsuru/Sentra began rolling down the line in CIVAC in 1992, and production continued until 2017 when it was finally axed as it didn’t meet new safety regulations.

Although its body folded like a paper crane, and it lacked ABS and airbags, over 1.8 million ‘B13’ Tsurus were made during its 25 year run, and it was for a long time Mexico’s most popular car.

Despite its historic significance, the 400,000 square metre CIVAC plant currently only accounts for 11 per cent of Nissan’s car production in Mexico.