British jobs secured as Nissan electric car to be built in Sunderland

Japanese carmaker Nissan has announced it will build its electric car at its Sunderland plant.

The announcement will safeguard hundreds of jobs when production begins in 2013 – as part of a £420 million investment from Nissan.

Meanwhile, Trevor Mann at Nissan said the Government had played a major part in the carmaker’s decision to build the electric car, called the Leaf, in Sunderland.

At the Sunderland plant, around 50,000 Nissan Leaf hatchbacks, which run entirely on lithium-ion batteries, will roll off the production line a year.

According to Nissan, the Leaf will be “the world’s first affordable, mass-produced, zero-emission car”. However, the company has not yet disclosed how much the Leaf will cost.

Commenting on the decision by the carmaker, Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson, said: “This investment is a fantastic vote of confidence in the Sunderland plant and its excellent workforce.”

Nissan has made cars in the North East since the mid 1980s and produced 338,000 last year, with a workforce of more than 4,000.

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