Nissan has announced that it will create 400 jobs at its Sunderland auto plant after promising weeks to invest £ 1 billion in the site.
The Japanese company, which overtook Jaguar Land Rover in 2020 and became the UK’s largest automaker, was looking for employees to build a new electric vehicle, as well as models like the Juke, Qashqai and the electric Leaf.
In a move decided by ministers as a renewed vote of confidence in the UK after Brexit, the company said hiring more staff would help prepare the Sunderland plant for electric vehicle production.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, said: “Nissan not only stops, it doubles.”
The development is part of plans to create 6,000 new jobs in Sunderland at Nissan and its suppliers, according to a draft announced by the company earlier this month when it is investing £ 1 billion to develop an electric vehicle manufacturing center.
The plans, known collectively as EV36Zero, include a gigafactory electric battery factory owned by Nissan’s partner Envision, a battery recycling plant and the production of a new all-electric car model.
The investment was backed by a promise of £ 100 million in government funding.
The government has kept Nissan’s investments in the UK as a sign of the prospect of attracting UK investment after Brexit. The Japanese automaker had repeatedly warned that the future of its Sunderland site would be jeopardized if Britain leaves the EU without an agreement.
Instead, Nissan has announced a series of UK investments since the Brexit agreements became clear, including £ 400m to build the new Qashqai.
Given the importance of the plant to the company and the UK economy, the company overtook JLR as the country’s largest vehicle manufacturer last year, despite the biggest drop in car production since 1984 during the first wave of Covid-19.
Nissan’s investment in Sunderland is heavily focused on electric vehicles, which have become the focus of the UK auto sector’s hopes.
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Ford and the Korean electronics companies LG and Samsung are also among the companies that had early talks with the government or local authorities about the construction of gigafactories.
Battery company Britishvolt plans to be the first in the UK to open a converted coal-fired power station in Blyth, Northumberland after its plans have been approved.
In May, Ofgem’s energy regulator approved a $ 300 million investment frenzy.
Alan Johnson, Vice President of Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, said: “This is a real vote of confidence from our parent company in Japan in Sunderland and it will truly reaffirm Sunderland’s reputation as a world-class manufacturer.”
