UK to build second-gen Qashqai 08 | 06 | 2011

NISSAN'S SECOND generation Qashqai will be built in Britain. The news, confirmed by Renault Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn at Downing Street today, will safeguard 6000 jobs in the UK and the commitment represents a £192 million investment in the country.

The new Qashqai will be designed at Nissan’s Paddington design centre in London, before development switches to its technical centre in Cranfield. The second-gen car will then be built at Sunderland where almost one million units of the first-gen Qashqai have been built, making it the firm’s most popular car to date.

The decision further strengthens the importance of the Sunderland plant. In addition to the new Qashqai, the plant also builds the Note and Juke models. Production of the all-electric Leaf will start from 2013. In a further development, a stand-alone factory will also be built at the site to construct lithium-ion battery packs for Renault-Nissan’s range of EVs.

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Mark Stephens

Caption: Renault Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn with Prime Minister David Cameron at the announcement outside 10 Downing Street today