RALEIGH, N.C. -- Nissan will spend $67.9 million and add up to 90 jobs at its Decherd, Tenn., engine plant to build electric motors for its Leaf battery-electric cars, the automaker said Tuesday.

The Decherd expansion was announced by Brian Carolin, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Franklin, Tenn.-based Nissan North America during his opening address to the Plug-in 2011 national electric-vehicle conference in Raleigh.

Up to 150,000 of the motors will be pproduced annually at Decherd beginning in early 2013 for installation in the Leaf cars that will be assembled at Nissan's Smyrna, Tenn., manufacturing complex, also beginning in early 2013.

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