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Nissan hiring 400 more workers in boost to Sunderland plant

Nissan's plant in Sunderland
Nissan's plant in Sunderland

Nissan is hiring 400 new workers at its Sunderland plant in an additional Brexit boost to the area following its £1bn electric car investment plans.

The Japanese car maker is ramping up production lines to build the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf in a major "vote of confidence" in the north-eastern city.

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, said it was "fantastic news" adding: "Not only are Nissan staying put, they're doubling down."

The company warned in 2019 that the Sunderland plant would "not be sustainable" in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

It confirmed it would stay put once the Brexit deal was reached late last year, and at start of this month it announced a £1bn deal with partner Envision AESC to build Britain's first electric car battery gigafactory, set to create about 1,600 jobs.

Nissan is spending up to £423m to produce a new-generation all-electric crossover vehicle at the Sunderland plant, where it produces the LEAF electric vehicle and the Qashqai crossover SUV.

Envision, meanwhile, will spend £450m to build a battery factory next door to the plant.

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Building major battery factories in the UK is seen as essential to the health of its automotive industry, as they need to be close to battery production.

Alan Johnson, from Nissan, said: "Last month, we announced the £1bn investment for Nissan EV36Zero in the plant, the biggest single investment since we opened 35 years ago.

"This is a real vote of confidence in Sunderland from our parent company in Japan and will really reaffirm Sunderland's reputation as a world-class manufacturer.

"These new recruits will play an important role in preparing the plant for the arrival of the new all electric crossover model, as well as delivering Qashqai, Juke and Leaf to our customers in more than 130 world markets."