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Nissan further underlined its
commitment to zero emission
leadership today by announcing
that the Nissan LEAF will be
manufactured at its plant in
Sunderland, UK.
Nissan LEAF - the first in a
range of forthcoming Nissan
electric vehicles (EVs) - is the
world’s first affordable, mass
produced zero emission car and
embodies Nissan’s vision for an
environmentally sustainable
future for road transport.
Nissan also said that
construction of its advanced
lithium-ion battery plant,
announced last year, will begin
this April. The facility, which
will be located at Sunderland,
will have a production capacity
of 60,000 units a year and will
start manufacturing batteries in
2012 for both Nissan and its
Alliance partner Renault.
The production of Nissan LEAF
and the batteries represents a
total investment of more than
420 million GBP (468.2 million
euros) in the Sunderland Plant
and is expected to maintain
about 2,250 jobs at Nissan and
across the UK supply chain. The
investment will be supported by
a 20.7 million GBP (23.1 million
euros) Grant for Business
Investment (GBI) from the UK
Government and a proposed
finance package from the
European Investment Bank of up
to 220 million euros (197.3
million GBP).
The UK’s Business Secretary Lord
Mandelson said: “This investment
is a fantastic vote of
confidence in the Sunderland
plant and its excellent
workforce. The automotive sector
is of key importance to the UK.
It supports R&D, technological
innovation, skills and a supply
chain that’s a mainstay of the
wider manufacturing sector.
“Today’s news from Nissan, with
support from government, shows
that by working together we can
achieve our aim of making the UK
a world-leader in ultra-low
carbon vehicles.”
Andy Palmer, senior vice
president at Nissan Motor Co.,
Ltd., and responsible for the
company's global EV strategy,
said: “The world is at the dawn
of a new era in automotive
transport. Nissan LEAF, which
will go on sale later this year,
is a five-seater hatchback that
offers the same space,
practicality and performance of
a similar car in its class –
minus the tailpipe emissions."
“Thanks to the UK’s firm
commitment to a low carbon
future in terms of
infrastructure, customer
incentives and educational
programmes, Nissan LEAF will be
built at Sunderland, making the
UK the third country in the
world to produce this
revolutionary car.”
Production of Nissan LEAF will
begin in Oppama, Japan later
this year followed by Smyrna,
Tennessee, USA in 2012.
Sunderland will come on-line in
early 2013 with an initial
annual production capacity of
about 50,000 units.
The three production sites will
support the sales launch of the
model, which begins in late 2010
in Japan, the United States and
selected European markets, ahead
of global mass marketing from
2012.
Nissan and its Alliance partner
Renault are the only automakers
committed to mass marketing pure
electric vehicles on a global
scale and together have
announced production capacity of
500,000 units per year. To date,
the Alliance has entered into
more than 50 partnerships
worldwide with countries,
cities, organisations and other
key stakeholders to prepare the
markets and infrastructure for
the successful adoption of EVs
around the world.
Work to integrate Nissan LEAF
into Sunderland’s manufacturing
process will begin in 2012. The
car will be launched on the
plant’s ‘Number 2’ production
line alongside the recently
unveiled Juke compact crossover
car, which enters production in
August 2010.
Nissan will continue to work in
partnership with local and
national government in
preparation for the UK sales
launch of Nissan LEAF in early
2011.
Last December, Nissan and
Regional Development Agency One
North East signed a definitive
agreement on zero emission
mobility. The agreement includes
the development of a regional
network of charging points,
supply of Nissan LEAF to the
region from early 2011 and a
range of incentives for early
adopters of EVs, such as a
period of free charging and use
of dedicated EV lanes.
Although zero-emission vehicles
are the centerpiece of Nissan’s
product strategy, the company is
also investing in a portfolio of
low-emission technologies
(called PureDrive) such as clean
diesels, efficient
internal-combustion engines and
hybrids. |
