Nissan Factory In Sunderland Breaks Record

3 November 2014, 09:04 | Updated: 3 November 2014, 13:11

British car workers in Sunderland have made the two millionth Nissan Qashqai and broken a production record.

The Sunderland plant has reached the milestone in less than eight years of making the popular crossover car, quicker than any other make and model in the history of UK car manufacturing.

Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, said:
"The Qashqai is helping Nissan to go from strength to strength in Europe.

Two million customers can't be wrong. This is further evidence of their trust in our brand.

Thank you to all of our loyal customers and I congratulate all my colleagues in Sunderland for reaching this latest milestone.''

The two millionth Qashqai to roll off the production line was a magnetic red model in the new n-tec grade which is destined for the UK market.

Nissan has invested £534 million in the design, development and production of Qashqai in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 British jobs.

Of the Qashqais made in Sunderland since December 2006, 85% have been exported to 132 international markets, from the Congo to Qatar.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
"Nissan is one of the driving forces behind the UK's world-renowned automotive industry.

They currently employ more than 11,000 people across the UK and have invested more than £500m in the innovation, design and production of this car, directly supporting the local and national economies.

The UK automotive industry is thriving. Last year, we increased our production to more than 1.5 million cars in the UK - that's a car rolling off the production line every 20 seconds.

Through the UK government's industrial strategy we are backing the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength. We are providing the right environment to give businesses the confidence to invest and create high-skilled jobs''.

The Qashqai is now closing in on the Micra as the highest volume car in the history of Nissan Sunderland Plant, with 2,368,704 Micras made in Sunderland over an 18-year period from 1992 to 2010.

One in three cars made in the UK is a Nissan.