Construction of the first Infiniti factory in Europe began on Monday (14 October) at Nissan Motor’s plant in Sunderland, north east England.
The ground breaking today was part of an overall GBP250m spend at the plant which recently began building the Leaf EV and its battery packs and the redesigned Note.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Executives at the event included Trevor Mann, Nissan Motor executive vice president, and Fintan Knight, vice president for Infiniti Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Mann said: “Securing the Infiniti Q30 for production at Sunderland was a tremendous achievement by the workforce and reflects the quality levels which they have reached. The existing Sunderland plant is already the largest in UK automotive history and this GBP250m investment will move the plant even further up the value chain and reconfirm our commitment to their future.”
Knight said whilst addressing visiting dignitaries, UK suppliers and plant staff at the ceremony; “This is a significant step for the Infiniti brand as we establish manufacturing here. The design centre in Paddington [London], the technical centre in Cranfield and the ongoing partnership with the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team in Milton Keynes testify to our strong link with the UK.
“Our investment here amplifies the brand’s presence in Europe, one of the key markets for Infiniti, but provides clear intent as we gear up for sales of the compact premium Q30 in 2015. Infiniti is committed to growing our product offering over the coming years as we challenge the traditional premium offerings”.
Trevor Mann and Fintan Knight performed the groundbreaking ceremony with the aid of a specialist digger provided by construction contractor Sir Robert McAlpine, indicative of a relationship which dates back to the building of the Sunderland plant in 1984.
The new factory, which will add a Q30 body shop and final assembly line will cover 25,000sq m of new production space, with construction and equipment installation due to be completed in time for the Q30 launch in 2015.
The new body shop will enable assembly of the new Q30 ‘premium platform’ while the trim and chassis line extension will include a new engine installation station.
Nissan said Infiniti would be the first new car brand to be manufactured in the UK on this scale for 23 years. The expansion is expected to create 1,000 jobs overall with 280 at Sunderland Plant. The Nissan Design Centre in Paddington and technical centre in Cranfield are also involved in the Q30’s development.
