Nissan has announced a major £400m investment into its Sunderland factory to prepare the plant for production of its new Qashqai.
The plant, which has been in operation since 1986 and produces models such as the Qashqai and Juke crossovers as well as the all-electric Leaf, has also unveiled a new £52m, extra-large metal press to prepare the factory.
This new press can automatically recycle scrap metal, and is capable of stamping 6.1m vehicle panels a year with pinpoint accuracy.
The new £400m investment solidifies the plant to produce the new third-generation Qashqai, which is expected to arrive in showrooms before the end of the year. With this model being Nissan’s most popular UK vehicle, as well as one of Britain’s best-selling cars, it’s crucial for UK automotive manufacturing.
This latest financial pledge is on top of the £100m already invested for the launch of the new Juke, and is part of a £1bn planned investment into the Nissan plant over the next five years. Some of this money will come from the UK government’s Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Ashwani Gupta, Nissan chief operating officer, said: “When the first Nissan Qashqai rolled off the line in Sunderland in 2006 it created the crossover segment.
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“Designed, engineered and made in the UK, and more than three million vehicles later, it remains the benchmark, just as our team in the UK continues to set the standard for productivity and quality.”
