Sunderland gets its Kicks: Nissan to invest £170m to build new hybrid SUV
Latest attempt to secure future of Britain’s biggest car factory may be subject to UK weakening EV sales mandate Nissan has said it will invest £170m to build a new SUV at its factory in Sunderland – but said the move was subject to the UK weakening its electric vehicle sales mandate . The new hybrid model, the Kicks, is Nissan’s latest attempt to secure the future of the plant, which employs…
Nissan has announced plans to invest £170m to build a new hybrid SUV, the Kicks, at its factory in Sunderland, Britain's biggest car factory. The move is contingent on the UK reducing its electric vehicle sales mandate, also known as the Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate. The Kicks will be the fourth model produced at the Sunderland plant, which currently manufactures the Qashqai, Juke, and Leaf.
Nissan's European, Asian, African, and Oceania head, Massimiliano Messina, emphasized that the investment aims to secure and maintain jobs at the site, which has been operating at 50% capacity. The announcement comes as the automotive sector grapples with challenges such as US tariffs, competition from Chinese rivals, and high industrial energy costs.
However, the UK government is consulting on lowering the ZEV mandate targets, potentially reducing the requirement from 80% to 50% by 2030. Nissan is actively engaged in discussions with the government and Chinese carmaker Chery to finalize the production share deal and bring the Sunderland plant closer to full capacity. The investment is seen as a significant boost for the UK's manufacturing sector and the thousands of skilled jobs supported by Nissan Sunderland.
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