Nissan is marking its latest manufacturing milestone with a pledge to get the region’s young people interested in engineering.
The company will today start production of the third generation Qashqai with a promise that every school child in the North East will get the chance to take part in a Nissan Skills Foundation event.
The Foundation aims to get young people interested in manufacturing and engineering, with more than 65,000 young people from the region having taken part in sessions put on by the company since it launched in 2014.
Alan Johnson, Nissan vice president for manufacturing in the Ƶ, said: “Sunderland plant is built on 35 years of manufacturing excellence, and from the skills and expertise of our world-class team comes a car for the future.
“More than 3.5m customers have chosen a Qashqai made in Sunderland since it went on sale in 2007, and the third generation model delivers the new levels of technology, design and performance that people have come to expect from the original crossover.
“We know it has been a tough year for young people, so we’re using the launch of this next-generation car to step up our efforts to inspire the next generation of manufacturing talent.
“We want every child in the North East of England to have the opportunity to be inspired by the Nissan Skills Foundation.”
Nissan has invested £400m into the Sunderland plant to support the production of the new Qashqai models. New facilities include an extra large press line, a scrap recycling system and 117 new robots in the paint shop.
More than 3.5m of the first two models of Qashqai have been produced at Sunderland since it was first launched in 2007, around a third of the plant’s entire production. Nissan said the new model would help support 7,000 jobs at the Sunderland plant and its other Ƶ sites, as well 24,000 in its supply chain and around 5,000 in Ƶ car dealerships.
Mr Johnson said: “Qashqai is a huge part of not just the heritage of our plant, but of the entire Ƶ car industry. It pioneered the crossover segment, and each new model has increased its popularity with our customers. I am confident that the third generation, made with pride by the team here in Sunderland, will continue that success.”
