Nissan factory to get Kicks
Nissan has announced plans to build a new model at its factory in northern England, with the move expected to secure the future of the plant and thousands of jobs.
The Japanese carmaker’s Kicks Hybrid, currently built in Japan, Mexico and Brazil, will be manufactured at the Sunderland site as part of a £170 million (about $400m) investment.
Nissan says it will join the plant’s production line alongside Qashqai, Juke and Leaf models at a date yet to be decided, reports the BBC.
The second-generation hybrid will become the 10th model to be built at the factory since it opened in 1986 and help safeguard the 6,000 existing roles at the site.
However, Nissan bosses cautioned the plan will be at risk if the UK government doesn’t weaken its EV sales mandate, reports the Guardian.
Officials wanted the percentage of zero-emissions cars sold by brands each year to increase to 80 per cent by 2030, but after industry pushback it is consulting on reducing the target.
In May, thousands of jobs were put at risk when Nissan consolidated manufacturing at Sunderland into one of its two factory lines.
It is in talks with Chery for the Chinese brand to utilise unused capacity at the plant and manufacture vehicles at the site.
