{"id":654590,"date":"2026-06-23T20:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/654590\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T20:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T20:27:41","slug":"nissan-to-axe-production-of-new-electric-car-at-sunderland-factory-in-latest-blow-to-uk-auto-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/654590\/","title":{"rendered":"Nissan to ‘axe production of new electric car’ at Sunderland factory in latest blow to UK auto industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nissan is reportedly considering shelving the development of the new Qashqai model at its facility in Sunderland, just months after starting production of the new Leaf EV.<\/p>\n

Reuters reports that the UK Government is in advanced talks with Nissan regarding financial support to confirm the Japanese carmaker’s future at its Sunderland site.<\/p>\n

Reports suggest that any funding for Nissan would be connected to producing new models or variants at the UK’s largest car plant, in addition to protecting thousands of jobs.<\/p>\n

Nissan remains the largest employer in Sunderland, with the facility employing around 6,000 members of staff.<\/p>\n

The Japanese brand’s global restructuring plan includes selling or closing other factories, in addition to cutting around 15 per cent of its worldwide workforce.<\/p>\n

Reuters claimed that five sources with knowledge of the discussions stated that the Government funding would be in return for a long-term commitment and investment. <\/p>\n

It also states that Nissan has quietly halted development of a full electric version of the Qashqai, which is the brand’s best-selling model in Europe.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Nissan told GB News: “Nissan already has all-electric Micra, LEAF and Ariya. This electrified line-up will be boosted by an entry-level A-segment EV later this year and the UK-built Juke EV in early 2027.<\/p>\n

\"Nissan<\/p>\n

Reports suggest that Nissan is planning to shelve production of the Qashqai<\/p>\n

| GETTY\/NISSAN<\/p>\n

\u201cOur electrified portfolio also includes Juke HEV and our market-leading Qashqai e-POWER hybrid, providing customers with a range of drivetrain options.<\/p>\n

\u201cQashqai is a global best-seller and we will continue to build on our rich history of electrifying our products \u2013 we\u2019re excited to share future plans so watch this space!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Qashqai is the fourth best-selling car in the UK, with more than 18,500 registrations, beating out the likes of the Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Golf and Mini Cooper.<\/p>\n

A Government spokesperson said: “Our automotive industry is vital to the North East, which is why our Industrial Strategy is delivering nearly \u00a31billion of capital and R&D funding to strengthen manufacturers and supply chains in the region. We don’t comment on Nissan’s commercial decisions.”<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Nissan Qashqai remains the brand’s best-selling car in Europe <\/p>\n

| NISSAN<\/p>\n

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that Sunderland produced more than one-third of all cars made in Great Britain last year.<\/p>\n

Nissan confirmed a \u00a32billion boost to the Sunderland factory in November 2023, which was earmarked for the production of the third-generation Leaf, the Qashqai and Juke.<\/p>\n

Production of the Nissan Leaf began in December last year, although the firm recently confirmed that it was closing one of its production lines.<\/p>\n

Speaking previously to GB News, a Nissan spokesperson said: “Under the Re:Nissan recovery plan, we have been taking decisive actions to enhance performance and create a leaner, more resilient business that adapts quickly to market changes.<\/p>\n

\"TheProduction of the new Nissan Leaf started in Sunderland at the end of 2025 | NISSAN<\/p>\n

“We have also announced that we will consolidate production from two lines to one at our Sunderland Plant as we assess future opportunities to secure full plant utilisation.”<\/p>\n

Nissan announced earlier this month that it had signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to produce Chery International UK passenger vehicles at its Sunderland Plant.<\/p>\n

The Japanese company noted that the Sunderland facility would remain fully owned by Nissan and all workers would be Nissan employees.<\/p>\n

Massimiliano Messina, Chairperson Nissan AMIEO, said: “This is an important step forward for our operations. We are looking forward to working with Chery International UK in the coming months to finalise a position that is optimal for both companies.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nissan is reportedly considering shelving the development of the new Qashqai model at its facility in Sunderland, just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[35884,84,7816,9114,59,655,50,98607,166780,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-654590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-across-the-uk","tag-business","tag-cars","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-gb","tag-lifestyle","tag-news","tag-nissan","tag-north-east-of-england","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}