Next Generation Juke and Qashqai Production Set for Nissan Sunderland

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【Summary】Nissan has confirmed that the upcoming electric Nissan Juke and Nissan Qashqai will be produced at its Sunderland plant, safeguarding thousands of jobs. The company's Sunderland factory's future was uncertain, but plans for the EV36Zero hub and the collapse of Britishvolt's gigafactory have refocused attention on the plant's electrification. The hub could have a capacity of 9GWh, expandable to 35GWh, allowing for the production of up to 100,000 EVs per year.

FutureCar Staff Nov 23, 2023 8:16 AM PT

Next Generation Juke and Qashqai Production Set for Nissan Sunderland

Nissan has confirmed that the upcoming electric Nissan Juke and the Nissan Qashqai, Britain's best-selling car, will be produced at the company's Sunderland plant, according to a report from Sky News. The announcement is expected to be made at an event hosted by the Japanese giant at its Sunderland factory today. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were involved in discussions with Nissan and are expected to play a role in the announcement.

The future of the Sunderland factory was uncertain until recently, benefiting from a trade deal between the UK and EU in 2021. The collapse of plans for Britishvolt's gigafactory in nearby Northumberland earlier this year, narrowly avoiding administration, has further emphasized the importance of the Nissan plant's future and its electrification.

Nissan Sunderland has already built the first and second-generation Leaf, and in 2021, the company announced that it would also produce the successor to the Leaf in Sunderland. The £1 billion "EV36Zero hub" will help bring these plans to life and has already created 900 jobs at Nissan. The production of the next-generation Juke and Qashqai is expected to create more jobs or at least secure the existing workforce of over 6,000 people. The EV36Zero hub has the potential to have a capacity of 9GWh, but it could expand to 35GWh, allowing for the production of 100,000 EVs per year at the Sunderland plant.

Sky's report coincided with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's announcement of the government's Autumn Statement, which included £2 billion of support for zero-emissions in the automotive industry. However, there were no incentives or reduced VAT costs for electric vehicle customers, despite calls for such measures.

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