Nissan has announced it will employ 150 new staff at its Sunderland plant as a result of extra demand caused by the recently announced scrappage scheme.
Government’s £2000 reduction offer on the price of a new car when one older than ten years is scrapped was extended by the Japanese automotive giant to apply to cars between eight and ten years old.
As a result it is expecting extra demand for its Micra, Note and Qashqai and will employ the extra 150 on four-month fixed term contracts from June.
Its optimism is inspired by a year-on-year rise in sales in Italy, Germany and France, where scrappage schemes have already been introduced.
Trevor Mann, Nissan senior vice-president for manufacturing, Europe, commented, “The impact of the financial crisis is continuing and our 2009 full-year forecasts still reflect a depressed market overall,” said Trevor Mann, Nissan’s senior vice-president for manufacturing in Europe.
“However, this short-term spike in demand, fuelled by a number of scrappage schemes introduced across Europe, is clearly a very welcome boost to business during what is a highly challenging period for all car makers.”
Nissan announced it would be making 1,200 staff out of 5,000 redundant at the plant in Sunderland earlier this year.
