Nissan has announced it will manufacture future all-electric versions of its Qashqai and Juke crossovers, along with the next-generation Leaf, at its Sunderland factory.
The firm’s latest investment includes up to £1.12bn into its UK operations and wider supply chain for R&D and manufacturing of the models, including facility and manufacturing process improvements, skills training, and tooling for suppliers.
Including an additional gigafactory and further investment for infrastructure projects, this will result in an investment of up to £2bn.
The announcement follows Nissan’s confirmation that all its new cars in Europe from now will be fully electric, and that it expects its passenger car line-up in Europe to be 100% electric by 2030.
In addition, the UK Government has awarded £15m of funding for a £30m collaborative project led by Nissan.
This will strengthen the technical expertise and R&D zero emission vehicle capability of the Nissan Technical Centre (NTCE) in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, increasing opportunities for securing additional UK R&D investment in future vehicle models.
Makoto Uchida, Nissan President and CEO, said, “Exciting, electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality.
“With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers.
“The EV36Zero project puts our Sunderland plant, Britain’s biggest ever car factory, at the heart of our future vision.
“It means our UK team will be designing, engineering and manufacturing the vehicles of the future, driving us towards an all-electric future for Nissan in Europe.”
