Nissan will close one of its two production lines at its Sunderland plant as part of a cost-cutting exercise that will see the Japanese maker eliminate 900 positions in Europe.
The plant builds the new electric Leaf, the Juke and the Qashqai, and all will now run down the same line. Nissan confirmed that no jobs at the plant would be lost as a result of the move.
The closure of the line marks the decline of production numbers at Nissan’s sole European plant. The factory built 273,174 cars last year, down from a previous high of over half a million.
Nissan said in a statement that it was taking measures “to create a leaner, more resilient business that adapts quickly to market changes”. Measures under review include the partial closer of its Barcelona parts warehouse and a move to an importer model in Nordic countries.
Nissan is hoping to attract a second carmaker to take over line one in the future, with Chinese makers Chery and Dongfeng both linked to production at the site.
This is a breaking news story and that will be updated