Nissan's Dandenong casting plant 'booming' as sole supplier of E-Power hybrid components

Output rising as E-Power proliferates

Output at the Nissan Casting Australia Plant (NCAP) in Melbourne's Dandenong South is 'booming and increasing' as the facility supplies core components for the E-Power hybrid drive system spreading through Nissan's global model range. Nissan Oceania managing director Steve Milette told GoAuto at the launch of the front-wheel drive X-Trail E-Power and X-Trail Rock Creek in New Zealand that the plant had not been affected by the car-maker's global Re:Nissan restructure, which targeted vehicle assembly capacity and headquarters headcount rather than NCAP. ¹

'There were no announcements made. In fact, they're the only supplier for some of the stamping of E-Power, like the five-in-one system,' Milette said in the GoAuto interview. 'Their volume of output is actually booming and increasing.' He added that NCAP produces components for the world and will continue to do so, crediting the plant's leadership, efficiency and automation for keeping it competitive. ¹

According to Nissan, NCAP is the sole global manufacturer of core components for the five-in-one E-Power hybrid drive system. GoAuto notes the plant supplies parts for models including the Qashqai, Leaf, Navara, X-Trail and Patrol as well as Infiniti vehicles, meaning every E-Power vehicle built worldwide carries a component stamped with the plant's raised kangaroo motif. ¹

The Melbourne plant and its capabilities

Established in 1982, NCAP employs more than 192 staff and contractors and can produce up to 1.2 million die-cast aluminium parts and towbars a year, according to Nissan. GoAuto reported during Australian Made Week 2026 that the facility manufactures critical aluminium die-cast components for vehicles ranging from the Leaf electric hatchback to the Patrol large SUV, including driveline components for the Leaf. ¹⁴

Milette also framed the plant as unique nationally, telling GoAuto: 'It's the only parts supplier or production facility (in Australia) from an automotive OEM perspective.' He said this was a testament to the plant and the people leading it, and to the efficiency and automation they have driven. ¹

The Victorian site supports a wide spread of Nissan and Infiniti models. GoAuto's Australian Made Week report listed the Qashqai (latest E-Power hybrid system), Leaf, Navara, Patrol and its North American Armada twin, X-Trail and Rogue, Pathfinder, Kicks, Note, Serena, Murano, Skyline, Titan, the Civilian bus, and Infiniti's QX80, QX60 and QX50. The Beep similarly reported the plant ships components into Qashqai, LEAF, Navara, Patrol, X-Trail and Pathfinder models plus Kicks, Note, Murano, Skyline, Titan and the Infiniti QX80, QX60 and QX50. ⁴⁵

'At NCAP they produce components for the world. So obviously it's still there. It's active. It's going to continue,' Milette told GoAuto in the October interview. 'They produce some very vital components. Every E-Power in the world will have a kangaroo stamp going there somewhere.' ¹

Australian Made certification and the kangaroo motif

The plant achieved Australian Made certification in 2025, and many of its castings carry a raised kangaroo motif denoting their Australian origin. The Beep reported that many of the components produced at the site have carried the motif for decades, describing it as a small detail that signals where the part was cast. ⁵

'Innovation doesn't just happen overseas, the Nissan Casting Australia Plant demonstrates the depth of manufacturing expertise, skill and capability we have right here in Australia,' Milette said when the plant was spotlighted for Australian Made Week 2026, according to GoAuto. 'The kangaroo motif proudly cast into many of the components over the years may be small, but it represents something much bigger.' ⁴⁵

Re:Nissan and the plant's role in Nissan's local outlook

Milette told GoAuto that the global Re:Nissan restructure, focused on consolidating vehicle production and headquarters staffing, 'did not really touch us' in Australia, and that NCAP has survived the cuts and plays an increasingly important role supplying components for the five-in-one E-Power drive system. He said he took the helm of Nissan's Australian and New Zealand operations on April 1 this year and is rebuilding the local mid-term plan around a market that has shifted significantly toward electrification. ²³

Nissan has previously announced a circular-economy project that will use batteries from end-of-life Nissan hybrid and battery electric vehicles to help power component manufacturing at NCAP, GoAuto reports. Nissan says the Dandenong operation is not simply a legacy facility but an active contributor to the company's electrification program and global production network. ¹⁴

Context: a crowded market and a shrinking gap to new models

Milette's comments on the plant came as he rejected a shrink-to-survive approach for Nissan in Australia, telling GoAuto the brand is 'here to thrive' despite sales falling 33.6 per cent in the first eight months of 2026 and 21.6 per cent in 2025. He said Nissan is adopting a challenger mindset rather than cutting sales ambitions or dealer network coverage, and predicted many newer market entrants would fall short of their targets. ²³

GoAuto's report on Milette's comments also noted market context: VFACTS and EVC data show 37 brands recorded medium SUV sales in June and July, the segment grew 24.9 per cent to 370,870 units over the 12 months to August, and Chinese brands took 32.1 per cent of medium SUV sales in the first seven months of 2026. Milette said the X-Trail segment is the market's most crowded and that Nissan's six decades in Australia give it an advantage over newer arrivals. ²³

Milette also said a shift to global platform families is narrowing the gap between left- and right-hand-drive launches, citing the next-generation X-Trail as an example: less than 12 months between the first North American Rogue launches and first right-hand-drive markets, according to GoAuto. Nissan USA has said the new Rogue goes on sale in late 2026, and the current-generation X-Trail's successor is expected to launch in Australia late next year or in early 2028 with an all-hybrid drivetrain offering. ²³