Nissan picks England for new marque

Nissan Motor Company announced today that the design and manufacture of its all-new compact car will be sourced from England.

Nissan is investing £55m in the new vehicle, which will be designed in London and built in Sunderland. The UK government is supporting the project with a grant worth £6.2m.

The new deal was unveiled this morning during a visit by prime minister Gordon Brown to Nissan’s European Design Centre in Paddington, London with Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn.

‘Our employees at Sunderland have demonstrated our plant can be a globally competitive centre for the production of high-value products,’ said Ghosn. ‘We are encouraged by the proactive support shown by the British government to decide new products for the Sunderland plant.’

According to Nissan, the new vehicle will be an addition to its current range and for the

plant, which employs around 4,700 staff. Manufacturing capacity for the vehicle will be created when production of the current version of the Micra ends in 2010.