It has now been confirmed that Infiniti will begin production at Nissan's Sunderland factory in 2015; in line with the introduction of the company's first compact luxury car. The new model is to be shipped worldwide and will be developed and built exclusively in the UK.
To get the plant ready for increased production figures, a £250 million investment has been made, creating around 1,000 UK jobs. When completed, Infiniti claims that it will be the first new brand to begin UK production on this scale for 23 years.
"This milestone reconfirms our commitment to UK manufacturing and the on-going success of the plant," comments Colin Dodge CBE, Executive Vice President and Chief Performance Officer at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd, after parent company Nissan revealed an all-time high of 6,000 employees at the plant. "Just as important, the new Infiniti is being developed with help from our London Design Centre and our European Technical Centre at Cranfield."
After the news that Nissan will produce over half a million cars this year, and that, when up to speed, Infiniti is expected to produce up to 60,000 units annually, Business Secretary, Vince Cable and Prime Minister David Cameron attended a ceremony at the Sunderland facility.
"This investment is excellent news for the North East and for UK manufacturing," said Cameron. "The continued success of Nissan in the UK demonstrates the strength of the car industry here, and its importance, as we rebalance and grow the economy."
The arrival of Infiniti at the plant has resulted in the relocation of Nissan's new C-segment hatchback due to begin production next year, however. The company will reveal the new production location at a later date.
Kyle Fortune - 4 Jan 2013