Nissan’s UK Plant Sees its 13th Straight Year of Superiority in New Car Production
Nissan is seeing great success all over the world, especially in light of the debut of the LEAF, its all-electric vehicle, at the end of 2010. The Japan-based manufacturer has also had a significant influence in the UK since the 1980s. Its production plant in Sunderland, Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK (NMUK), in fact, is now celebrating its thirteenth consecutive year as the largest car producer in Britain, with an output of 423,262 vehicles in 2010; over a third of the new cars sold throughout the UK were produced at the plant.
Production at the NMUK plant began 26 years ago in 1986, with its production soaring to the top in 1998. Since then, this plant has been home to many famous names in the Nissan line, including the Qashqai, the Juke, the Note, and now with the Nissan LEAF’s honor of being 2011 European car of the year, Sunderland will be assembling the new car model in the near future.
The Qashqai and the Juke were both engineered and designed in the UK. Introduced in 2007, the Nissan’s compact crossover, the Qashqai, has seen significant success in Britain; with 39,000 units sold in 2010, this model was the only one of Nissan’s production line to reach the top ten in sales since the Sunderland plant opened.
Of course, another Nissan vehicle has made even bigger headlines beyond the UK: the all-electric LEAF. As the first mass-produced electric car sold by a major manufacturer, the global automotive industry is abuzz about this vehicle. It was released in the U.S. and Japan at the end of 2010, and it has a tentative release date of March 2011 in the UK. The Sunderland plant will begin manufacture of the vehicle in 2013, with the annual production capacity starting at 50,000 units. Backing this major investment are a British government grant as well as a €220-million finance package going toward the Sunderland plant.
Aside from the new cars that roll out of the Sunderland auto production line, the NMUK plant is also known as one of the most efficient auto manufacturing plants in Europe. It boasts more cars per man than other European factories, and they train their workers in various areas to increase each employee’s flexibility.
Despite the global economic crisis over the past couple of years, the Nissan NMUK plant has continued to thrive through its output of popular cars, its commitment to quality control, and its emphasis on workforce productivity. With bright prospects ahead for Nissan, this plant is sure to thrive.
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