Nissan announce £2 billion of new investment to produce more EVs in Britain

Japanese car manufacturer Nissan is building two new electric cars at its Sunderland plant as part of a £2 billion investment plan in the UK.

Nissan will produce electric versions of the Qashqai and Juke in Sunderland, alongside an all-new version of the Leaf.

The company is spending £1.12 billion to build two new additional electric models in the UK, with the Leaf already assembled in Sunderland.

As a part of the announcement, Nissan will also construct a new EV battery gigafactory, which will bring the total new investment up to £2 billion. Nissan already operates two gigafactories in the UK and its passenger car line-up in Europe is expected to be 100% electric by 2030.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, which already contributes a massive £71 billion a year to our economy.

“This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing."

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Nissan employs almost 7,000 people at its Sunderland plant, supporting 30,000 jobs in the wider UK supply chain. This latest investment is on top of the £1 billion electric vehicle hub announced by Nissan and its battery partner AESC in 2021.

The news that Nissan will construct a new gigafactory follows a £4 billion investment by Jaguar Land Rover in the summer to build a new electric vehicle battery factory in Somerset. BMW has also pledged to spend £600m to upgrade its Oxford plant to create electric versions of the MINI.

Nissan President and CEO Makoto Uchida said: “Exciting, electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality.

“With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers.

“The EV36Zero project puts our Sunderland plant, Britain’s biggest ever car factory, at the heart of our future vision.

“It means our UK team will be designing, engineering and manufacturing the vehicles of the future, driving us towards an all-electric future for Nissan in Europe.”

What do you make of the investment announcement? What do you think needs to be done to increase the number of EVs on the roads in Britian? Leave your comments below.