The new Infiniti Q30 has entered production at the Nissan group’s plant in Sunderland, UK.
This is the brand’s first compact car and the first one to be manufactured in Europe, as part of the Infiniti global growth plan, which includes vehicle production in five facilities spread out in four countries on three continents.
The decision to build the Q30 in the UK was taken back in 2012 and it followed a £250 million ($373 million) investment, that created 300 new jobs.
The production facility in Sunderland covers 25,000 square meters (269,098square feet) and it includes a 100 percent automated body shop, where 134 robots with laser-welding precision complete its assembly. The cars then move to Line 2 for painting, where a 14,500 square meters (156,077square feet) plant extension was built.
The Sunderland-made Infiniti Q30 is a global model, and will be exported to the United States and China. The vehicle takes on rivals such as the Audi A3 or the BMW 1-Series and it’s based on the same platform as the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. It comes with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, including the 1.5-liter dCi signed by Renault.
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