Nissan has yet to make a decision when it comes to producing the next generation Qashqai at the Sunderland plant, in the UK, after the country has voted to leave the European Union.
Posted by Reuters, the information is more than a report, as it comes from the man holding the helm at the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Carlos Ghosn, who met with the British Prime Minister Theresa May last week, to discuss the threats of Brexit and how it affects the automaker’s plant in Sunderland.
“We’re not asking for any advantage [from the British government], but we don’t want to lose any competitiveness no matter what the discussions“, Nissan’s CEO said. Ghosn added that he “can look at the future of Sunderland with more ease“, after admitting that the British government is treating the subject “extremely cautious“, and is looking in “preserving the competitiveness“.
As for the next generation Nissan Qashaqai, this is expected to hit the assembly lines in either 2018 or 2019, and due to the time required to bring a new car into production, the automaker has to decide fast on where it will build the upcoming crossover. Rumor has it that an official decision on whether the Japanese-based company will choose Sunderland as the birthplace of the next Qashqai will be taken next month.
The Nissan Qashqai isn’t the brand’s only model that could be affected from the Brexit, as the same stands for the Juke, which is put together at the same facility.