Nissan LEAF IS for UK!
March 18th, 2010 by Richard Aucock
NISSAN has announced news Car Dealer Magazine beat the rest to – the LEAF electric car is to be built here in the UK!
Confirmation will be made today at a special press briefing in London by Lord Mandelson.
Sunderland will now become Europe’s largest electric car production plant, with cars rolling off the lines from early 2013. This will secure thousands of jobs.
Initial production will be around 50,000 cars – but the expectation is that this will rise even further as the car becomes established in the market.
It is a big win for the UK plant, which was in competition with a Spanish facility to get the job. Last year’s confirmation that the battery production plant would be located at Sunderland hinted at bigger things to come.
Today’s announcement confirms that, and will make Nissan even more of a key player in the UK car market.
Lord Mandelson said ‘this investment is a fantastic vote of confidence in the Sunderland plant and its excellent workforce.
‘The automotive sector is of key importance to the UK. Today’s news from Nissan, with support from Government, shows that by working together we can achieve our aim of making the UK a world-leader in ultra-low carbon vehicles.’
A huge £420 million has been invested at Sunderland, which will ensure 2250 jobs continue. The Government backed this with a £20 million grant, and the European Investment Bank added a £197 million finance package.
Work to integrate Nissan LEAF into Sunderland’s manufacturing process will begin in 2012. The car will be launched on the plant’s ‘Number 2’ production line, alongside the Juke.
Work will also carry on in partnership with local and national government in preparation for the UK sales launch of Nissan LEAF in early 2011.
Today’s news explains why Nissan MD Paul Willcox was so careful while being interviewed by Car Dealer Magazine earlier in the week – and it also proves WE got the news RIGHT, before the rest of the country!
Here’s the video that shows Car Dealer Magazine was first… do watch it, and share your thoughts with today’s fantastic announcement with us!
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Tags: green, leaf, Nissan, production