Nissan has unveiled plans to invest £52 million in Sunderland as it begins preparation for their new Qashqai line.
The investment, which will provide the Sunderland branch with a new XL press line, has been praised by the North East Chamber of Commerce.
A spokeswoman for the North East Chamber of Commerce, Kay Wilson, said: “Nissan is a tremendously important part of the North East economy and any investment in the Sunderland plant is very much welcomed.”
Senior press officer of Nissan, Ben Guy, said: “This is part of an overall £1bn planned investment into the plant by Nissan over five years.”
The news of Nissan’s investment comes days after Sunderland City Council announced its plans to provide investment spending of £270 million to Sunderland.
City Council Leader, Councillor Graeme Miller said: “This is a positive budget, reflecting the confidence and aspiration I am sure we al have for our city.”
An official ceremony to open the facility was held earlier today. Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta was on hand to open the new line. He praised Sunderland’s efforts in 2006 as the: “Benchmark for our teams in the U.K. in setting the standard for productivity and quality.”
March 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of Nissan and Sunderland’s exclusive collaboration in manufacturing the Juke. Since October 2018, the Juke model has been an exclusive part of Sunderland’s manufacturing efforts. The 10 year anniversary falls at the same time Sunderland celebrates the 35,000th Juke model to come off of the production line.
Efforts between Sunderland and Nissan date back to 1984, when the factory first opened. Investment from the car company has been steadily increasing since 2006.
Nissan assured development in the North East would be possible, with the investment coming off of a deal made back in 2016.
Concerns over Brexit have not deterred the Japanese car manufacturer, who are pressing on with their multi-million pound investment in the North East.
Nissan has received support from the UK Government’s Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy to fund the necessary £400 million needed to supply the Qashqai launch.
