CORRECTED - UPDATE 2-Nissan to build light work trucks in Mississippi

(Corrects description of Infiniti SUV in paragraph 6 to QX56, not QZ56, as earlier sent) (Adds detail, background throughout, byline)

By Kevin Krolicki and Soyoung Kim

DETROIT, April 7 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co on Monday outlined plans to enter the U.S. market for light work trucks and said it planned a $118-million expansion to its Canton, Mississippi, plant to roll out three new models.

Nissan (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said it had forged partnerships with Cummins Inc (CMI.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to supply diesel engines and ZF Friedrichshafen AG for automatic transmissions.

The components will be used to power a line of yet-to-be announced work trucks Nissan said it will launch starting in 2010, a move that takes aim at a steady market now dominated by General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research)

Nissan already has light commercial vehicle operations in Japan, China and Europe and is planning to expand in the fast-growing markets of India and Russia, said Andy Palmer, vice president of the four-year-old business group at Nissan.

The automaker, which is 44-percent owned by France's Renault (RENA.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), has not sold commercial vehicles in the United States, although it dominates the market for light pickup trucks and vans in Mexico.

In shifting to produce trucks for the U.S. market, Nissan will halt production at its Mississippi plant of the Quest minivan and the Infiniti QX56 luxury sport utility vehicle.

Company representatives declined to comment on plans for those vehicles beyond the 2010 launch of the first of the new work trucks. "They're still in production. They still have a number of years to go," said Dominique Thormann, senior vice president for Nissan North America.