The Japanese car producer has chosen its giant plant in Sunderland to manufacture a new version of the Qashqai, safeguarding 6,000 jobs.
British designers and engineers will create and build the new model, ensuring 6,000 of its worker’s are not in danger of being made redundant. The project is estimated to cost £192m.
The design will be created in London, before being finalised in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.
The announcement was made by Carlos Ghosn, Nissan president and chief executive officer made the announcement with Prime Minister David Cameron.
Mr Ghosn said: “The UK has been a cornerstone of Nissan manufacturing since 1986, with the Sunderland plant setting important benchmarks for quality and efficiency in Europe and around the world. It’s the home of the Qashqai, one of Nissan’s biggest product successes.”
“And as Nissan’s leadership in sustainable transportation grows, the plant will become one of the pillars of our zero-emission manufacturing,” he added.
John Cridland, CBI Director-General, said: “This major investment from Nissan is great news for the UK economy and crucially will secure thousands of jobs in Sunderland and Bedfordshire.”
“UK manufacturing has already been shown to be at the vanguard of the economic recovery and the strength and world-class reputation of the car-building sector here will make it a valuable contributor to growth and job creation,” he added.
George Archer