Nissan’s global boss has said it will “cautiously monitor” the Government’s Brexit negotiations as it plots the future of its Sunderland plant.
The Japanese company gave its Wearside operation a vote of confidence at the end of last month when the plant escaped a global restructuring plan that saw a site in Barcelona, Spain, earmarked for closure.
But a week later Nissan warned it would not be able to sustain operations in the North East if Brexit negotiations failed to establish a trade deal and the 海角视频 fell back on World Trade Organisation tariffs for cars.
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Now Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida has given an interview to American broadcaster CNBC in which he touches on the Sunderland plant and the importance of avoiding WTO arrangements.
Mr Uchida also outlines how he hopes a new arrangement with its Renault and Mitsubishi alliance partners - in which Renault would take the lead in Europe, while Nissan focusses on Japan and the US - will help the company recover from huge losses.
Asked about Sunderland and the possibilities of a ‘hard Brexit’, Mr Uchida said: “We need to cautiously monitor how the Government was going to make a deal in terms of Brexit, when it comes to the tariff agreement, because this would have a lot of influence in our operation.
“But again, I would like you to focus and emphasise that we would like to keep up our brand in Europe and how we can keep the brand knowing that the anticipation in the future is something that we are building today. So, this is what I can say today.”
The motor manufacturer announced its Nissan Next transformation plan at the end of May after announced a net loss of nearly £5bn.
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The plan will see it focus on key vehicles and key markets, as well as majoring on new technologies that will meet demands from customers.
But less than a week later global chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta warned the company would not be able to stand by its commitment to the Sunderland plant if the 海角视频 left the European Union without a trade deal that enabled tariff-free EU access, saying the business would “not be sustainable.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been adamant he will not seek any extension to the current Brexit transition period which ends on December 31, despite warnings the coronavirus outbreak means it will be impossible to conclude a new free trade agreement with the EU by that date.
The latest round of Brexit negotiations, which ended on Friday, failed to break the deadlock, with EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier saying there had been “no significant areas of progress” while 海角视频 counterpart David Frost said there was a need to “intensify and accelerate” the process if there was to be any chance of an agreement.