NISSAN has confirmed its Note replacement will be going into production at the company’s Sunderland plant.
Called INVITATION, the dynamic concept was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, previewing just some of the innovation and excitement promised for the new model.
The production version of this bold new B-segment vehicle, which will be launched in 2013, will replace the Note at the plant and will be built alongside the Juke on line number two.
Further to production of the actual vehicle, axle production, cylinder head casting, camshaft machining as well as engine assembly will all take place at the Sunderland plant, representing a further £125m investment by Nissan in the UK.
The total project is further supported by a £9.3m investment grant offer from the Government’s regional growth fund.
Sunderland’s new baby
To meet the anticipated annual volumes of 100,000 units, and cope with increasing demand for the Nissan Juke, a third production shift will be required on line number two which will mean the entire plant will be running as a 24-hour operation for the first time in its 26-year history.
The investment will create 400 jobs and safeguard 600 existing jobs at Sunderland. A further 30 R&D jobs will be created at Nissan’s European Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.
The plant is already recruiting for engineers and maintenance roles to support the development of the car and the introduction of a further shift, with a dedicated website at www.careersatnissan.co.uk
In the UK supply chain, it is anticipated that 1,600 jobs will be created and a further 2,400 jobs will be safeguarded by this project. In total the project therefore represents a total of 5,000 jobs created and safeguarded in the UK automotive sector.
Trevor Mann, Nissan Senior Vice President for Manufacturing in Europe, said: ‘Nissan Sunderland Plant has a 20-year heritage in producing B-segment vehicles, since its first Micra rolled off the line in 1992.
‘The evolution of Nissan’s small car range can already be seen in Juke and Micra – now this new concept previews a very exciting next phase in this line-up.
‘The additional volume this new car creates for Nissan Sunderland Plant will take us into unknown territory, with preparations now in place for 24-hour production on both lines. We expect a very busy future for the plant supporting Nissan’s journey to become the number-one Asian brand in Europe.’
Succeeding a Note-worthy Nissan
Since its launch in 2006, staff at Nissan Sunderland Plant have manufactured more than 430,000 Notes. The vehicle was recently upgraded for Model Year 2012 with a number of features added to the ACENTA grade and to the N-TEC+ grade.
The next-generation car will see Nissan’s new ‘V’ platform introduced into Europe for the first time. The ‘V’ platform (short for versatile) forms a lightweight and compact platform from which a series of future small vehicles will be created across Nissan’s global operations.
As this is a new platform for Nissan Sunderland Plant, it opens up the opportunity to compete for future vehicles based on this platform, as well as strengthen the North East region’s profile as one of the principal advanced manufacturing centres in Europe.