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Nissan is looking to move forward from a turbulent period with the first production of its new model Qashqai - and a significant anniversary.

The automotive firm’s Sunderland plant has begun production of the third generation Qashqai, a project that safeguards thousands of jobs, while it has also marked the 35th anniversary of the start of manufacturing on Wearside.

The new production comes after an unsettling few years at the plant, with the Brexit referendum, a collapse in global car sales and the Covid-19 pandemic all throwing up major challenges for the firm.

But a senior executive at Nissan has said that the Sunderland plant was now focussed on producing the new Qasqai and winning new work as it looks to the future.

The company is recruiting for a number of jobs in its manufacturing division, having had to reduce headcount on a number of occasions in recent years.

Nissan has also signalled its commitment to the future of its North East operations with a pledge to offer a place on its Skills Foundation - which aims to get young people interested in careers in engineering and manufacturing - to every school child in the region.

Alan Johnson, Nissan vice president for manufacturing in the ������Ƶ, said: “Today we’re celebrating 35 years of production in Sunderland and we’re celebrating the launch of the third generation Qashqai. As part of that we’re stepping our efforts to help the next generation of talent for engineering and manufacturing by offering a place for all North East schoolchildren at our Skills Foundation.

“It has been a turbulent year but I’m extremely proud of what our team has achieved just to be here today - we’re standing in front of the car, the line’s running, we’re building and that’s us in production.”

He added: “There’s been a lot of uncertainty. Various things have been causing that and most of that uncertainty is cleared now.

“We’ve got clarity in terms of Brexit and we know where we are in terms of managing Covid so our focus is just on building the good quality products that we’re expected to build. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Along with other automotive manufacturers, Nissan has had to suspend some production due to a shortage of semiconductors in the global market. Mr Johnson said the firm was “continuing to manage” the shortages.

He added that the Sunderland plant was continuing to work on its efficiency and quality so that it was well placed to secure the production of future Nissan models.

He said: “We never forget about our future. Every day we’re working hard on that. We enjoy our successes, and today is a success for us, but we’re always working hard to make sure we’re in the right place to secure future business.

“It’s always a challenge but I believe we’re in a good place and we’ll continue to be as competitive as we possibly can be in order to secure our future. We’ve got a team that’s very competitive in terms of quality, cost and delivery.

“We’ve got clarity from the Government in terms of what Brexit means to us so we can move forward and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”