After some concerns about Nissan dropping UK manufacturing of several models due to Brexit and its ever-spreading roots, the ship has been steered into calmer waters by Carlos Ghosn.
Following the British government’s commitment to ensure that the Sunderland plant remains competitive, the decision has been made public by the brand’s Chairman and CEO, who confirmed that the next generation Qashqai will be assembled in the facility, along with the upcoming X-Trail.
“I am pleased to announce that Nissan will continue to invest in Sunderland. Our employees there continue to make the plant a globally competitive powerhouse, producing high-quality, high-value products every day. The support and assurances of the UK government enabled us to decide that the next-generation Qashqai and X-Trail will be produced at Sunderland. I welcome British Prime Minister Theresa May’s commitment to the automotive industry in Britain and to the development of an overall industrial strategy“, Ghosn said.
The verdict may be out for the Qashqai and X-Trail, but Nissan’s officials are keeping quiet when it comes to the Sunderland-built Juke, which used to be (or still is) in jeopardy of being put together in the UK, after the country’s vote to leave the European Union.
Opened in 1986, the Nissan Sunderland factory has produced almost 9 million cars up to date, including more than 2 million units of the Qashqai. The facility, which is the country’s largest of its kind and the place where one in three British cars are produced, is home to 7,000 direct employees and supports another 28,000 jobs in the local automotive supply chain. Nissan has invested over £3.7 billion ($4.5 billion) in Sunderland so far.
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