Major boost to UK car industry
Nissan announces £100 million investment to build the next phase of its Nissan Juke in Sunderland.
Production of the Nissan Juke at the Nissan plant in Sunderland. Image: Nissan.
Chancellor George Osborne today (Thursday 3 September) visited Nissan’s manufacturing plant in Sunderland to welcome news of a £100 million investment and security for 34,000 jobs across the UK.
With the decision to build the next phase of its Nissan Juke in Sunderland, the company’s investment is a further endorsement in manufacturing in the North East, where it already employs 6,700 people directly and supports 20,000 through its supply chain.
The news gives long term security to the Nissan plant, while in a further boost to the UK car industry, Nissan’s UK design and engineering teams in Paddington, London, and Cranfield, Bedfordshire, will be instrumental in the development of this new model.
Visiting the manufacturing plant in Sunderland, the Chancellor said:
It’s fantastic news that Nissan will be building their new car here in Sunderland and securing valuable jobs for thousands working people in the area.
Our ambitious plans to build the Northern Powerhouse means building on the area’s strengths – including manufacturing - and this announcement is an important sign of Britain being chosen as a global leader in car production.
Today’s news follows the announcement earlier this year that the government is providing £1.4 million funding, matched by Nissan, for training over 1,700 employees at their Sunderland plant, helping them win new contracts in the future.
Nissan Europe Chairman Paul Willcox said:
Juke’s unique design is one of the reasons Nissan is now the undisputed crossover leader, underpinning five consecutive years of sales growth in Europe.
With the next generation Juke now confirmed for future production, customers can be assured that Nissan is going to remain the benchmark in the crossover segment for many years to come.
This announcement also gives security to our Sunderland plant beyond 2020, which the team has earned through many years of hard work and their ability to continually raise the bar on quality.
Nissan employs nearly 8,000 people in its UK design, engineering and manufacturing operations, supporting an additional 27,000 jobs in the UK supply chain and 3,900 in dealerships.
Last updated 4 September 2015 + show all updates
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Added Japanese translation
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First published.