L.A. County Scrambles to Keep Nissan Headquarters

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Los Angeles County officials may offer tax or energy incentives to discourage Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. from moving its U.S. headquarters out of the county, Bloomberg News reported.


Greg Whitney, vice president of business development for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. told Bloomberg that the organization is trying to learn more about the No. 2 Japanese automaker’s concerns and has formed a “team” to study how to prevent the move.


Officials with the agency met with representatives from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Southern California Edison and other local agencies to discuss a possible response, including possible tax incentives, he said. Nissan North America Inc. employs about 1,300 in its marketing and sales operations in Gardena and Carson and about 100 at its design center in La Jolla.


According to earlier reports in the Los Angeles Times and Automotive News magazine, the move would be part of a company-wide effort to cut operating and administrative expenses starting next year, shifting marketing and sales operations to Nissan’s manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tenn., or its financial center in Dallas.


Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said in an interview Sunday that no decision has been made about the move.


Nissan has had its U.S. headquarters in Gardena since 1958. Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ltd have their U.S. headquarters in the South Bay city of Torrance.

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