Workers at Nissan's Sunderland factory could be involved in manufacturing vehicles for a Chinese brand, CEO Ivan Espinosa has suggested.
Speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car summit, Mr Espinosa noted the potential collaboration with Dongfeng, a state-owned Chinese firm and long-standing partner in China, saying: "We could leverage some of our joint work outside of China, inviting them to come into our production ecosystems - everything is open."
At the same event, he said it was unlikely the Wearside plant would be among those affected by the closure of seven plants globally, given the company's sweeping cost reduction measures due to severe financial challenges.
However, he stressed the importance of 海角视频 Government support for Nissan to stay competitive within the country, reiterating points made previously by Alan Johnson, a senior executive based in the North East.
Mr Espinosa said: "Things like energy and a few other things are not as competitive as they are in other markets, and we need support from the Government to remain competitive in the 海角视频 and keep our plant moving forward.", reports .
Downing Street officials last week reached out to Nissan for more information regarding potential factory closures, amid concerns that the Sunderland plant - which employs roughly 6,000 individuals - might be at risk. This comes in the wake of intensified global cost-cutting measures, with the company now planning to cut 20,000 jobs and reduce its number of factories from 17 to a mere 10 by 2027.
The firm stated that the restructuring will "create a leaner, more resilient business", as it aims for cost savings of 250 billion yen (拢1.28bn) compared to the previous fiscal year.
Workers and suppliers in the North East were given cause for hope when Mr Espinosa emphasised that the Sunderland factory is set to see three new electrified models on the production lines.
Last week, while announcing financial results for 2024 showing a loss of 拢3.4bn, Mr Espinosa stated: "In Europe we will strengthen our presence by assembling more electrified models in Sunderland, utilising also our Alliance relationship with Renault to take advantage of their assembly line and electric vehicle architecture."
The Sunderland plant has been the recipient of substantial investment in recent years, including the EV36zero plans which encompass electric vehicle production, battery-making capacity, and renewable power sources.
Just last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited battery manufacturer AESC's neighbouring gigaplant to declare Government support for a 拢1bn investment into the company's second facility, intended to supply Nissan. This announcement came on the heels of earlier news this year that Jatco, a transmission supplier owned by Nissan, is establishing a 拢48.7m factory at the International Advanced Manufacturing Park.
