Nissan is expected to announce imminently that it will make electric versions of its Juke and Qashqai models at its UK car manufacturing plant.
The investment for the plant, in England’s northeast at Sunderland (and the UK’s largest vehicle making facility), will reportedly be supported by £1bn from the UK Government’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). The ATF also helped secure investment by BMW for future electric versions of its MINI range made in the UK. It was topped up by a further £2bn in the UK Government’s latest taxes and economic policy update (‘Autumn Statement’) this week.
Nissan’s Sunderland facility also benefits from a battery plant (owned by AESC) located close to the plant – which currently supplies battery packs for the electric Leaf – and is poised to also supply future Nissan electric models made there.
The Nissan Sunderland plant is capable of making 600,000 vehicles a year and employs some 6,000 workers.
Nissan is pressing ahead with plans to achieve 100% EV sales in Europe by 2030, with all new Nissan models from now to be all-electric in Europe.
Al Bedwell, analyst at GlobalData said: "This announcement was always expected given the huge investment Nissan has made at its Sunderland plant over the years, alongside the proximity of the AESC battery plant.
“The confirmation will be very welcome news in London though - particularly given Rules of Origin and local content changes to UK-EU vehicle trade that are planned. It also shows the importance of the ATF in bringing in such FDI in the automotive sector."
