The second generation of Nissan’s big-selling in Europe Qashqai crossover will be designed, engineered and built in Britain, the Japanese automaker’s CEO Carols Ghosn announced today during a meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Nissan said it will spend £192 million (US$315 million or €215 million) for the new Qashqai, safeguarding 6,000 jobs, both direct and indirect through the UK supply chain.
Mr Ghosn said: “The UK has been a cornerstone of Nissan manufacturing since 1986, with the Sunderland plant setting important benchmarks for quality and efficiency in Europe and around the world. It’s the home of the Qashqai, one of Nissan’s biggest product successes.”
Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed Nissan’s decision to build and design the new Qashqai on UK soil. He said:
“This investment from Nissan is fantastic news and a great demonstration of the strength and vitality of the UK car industryThat future manufacturing and R&D has been secured is a tribute to the skill, expertise and hard work of Nissan’s UK workforce.
The styling of the new compact-sized crossover will be created at Nissan’s European Design Centre in Paddington, London, with the engineering to take place at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The completed car will be manufactured in the company’s Sunderland facility.
The current Qashqai was launched in 2006 and received a facelift in 2009. On average, Nissan’s Sunderland plant produces around 1,200 Qashqais per day with 83.6% of all parts sourced from one of 224 UK suppliers. The UK factory also assembles the Nissan Note mini-MPV and the Juke compact crossover.
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