Nissan set to keep investing in the North East
There had been concerns about the future of the plant in the North East after the UK leaves the EU.
Nissan has given a double boost to workers at its Sunderland factory, opting to build its next-generation Qashqai and add production of the new X-Trail model.
There had been concerns about the future of the car giant's plant in the North East after the UK leaves the European Union.
The news, which will secure thousands of jobs, is the first major UK automotive decision since the Brexit vote in June.
Building the X-Trail in Sunderland is an unexpected boost to the factory.
Nissan’s Sunderland plant opened in 1986 and has produced almost 9 million cars since.
One in three British cars are produced in Sunderland, which is the UK’s largest car plant of all time.
In addition, 80% of production from Sunderland is exported to over 130 international markets.
More than 2 million Qashqai’s have been built in Sunderland in less than 10 years. In addition to the 7,000 direct employees at Sunderland, the plant supports a further 28,000 British automotive supply chain jobs. To date, Nissan has invested more than £3.7 billion in Sunderland.
Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn went to Downing Street earlier this month for crunch talks with Prime Minister Theresa May.
He said:
"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.''