Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) is powering ahead in the new product introduction stakes, securing the tenders for production of the Qashqai and, most recently, the Micra replacement. Anthony Timmiss discusses the driving force behind this success
In 2010 the hugely successful current Micra car comes to the end of its life and will be replaced by a new compact car to compete in the same market space.
Following a competitive tender, Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn announced to Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the group’s Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) (NMUK) plant at Sunderland would be the preferred choice to build the model, securing jobs at the site which employs 4,700 people.
NMUK is the largest car plant in the United Kingdom, and has regularly been recognised as the most productive in Europe. In the last fiscal year, NMUK built a record 374,000 cars. It is the UK’s largest car exporter, selling four-fifths of its cars abroad.
