The arrival of the Infiniti Q30 and QX30 in to production at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland this year will create 300 new jobs, and many more in the supply chain.
From being very much a rare sight on UK roads, Infiniti models look set to become far more familiar to UK motorists with the arrival later this year of the compact Q30 – and its high-riding sibling, the Infiniti QX30 – and their arrival will also mean 300 new jobs at Infiniti’s bit of the Nissan Plant in Sunderland.
An investment of £250 million has seen the Sunderland Plant expanded by 25,000 m2 – including a new body shop and a bigger trim and chassis assembly line – and now Infiniti need 300 new staff to fill their new facilities, 120 more than originally planned.
If you count Infiniti as a stand alone brand – rather than a premium sub-brand of Nissan – then the launch of Infiniti manufacturing in Sunderland represents the biggest manufacturing enterprise in the UK by a new brand in more than two decades.
Infiniti say (or hope) the Q30 and QX30 will see Infiniti’s European sales explode, as the Infiniti take on the Mercedes A Class and GLA brings Infiniti in to the compact market for the first time, with cars they say are aimed at drivers who are looking for a dynamic experience, rather than just a practical hatch.
Colin Lawther, Infiniti Senior VP for Manufacturing, said:
“Infiniti production heralds the beginning of a new era for our operations in the UK, and the demands of premium vehicle manufacturing requires significant additions to the team.
It is a fantastic time to be joining the company, as we prepare to launch Infiniti’s first premium compact entry for global markets. In return we’ll be looking for people who share the same obsession for detail and commitment to quality as our highly-skilled workforce in Sunderland.
Production of the Infiniti Q30 starts later in 2015 – closely followed by the butch QX30 – with cars built in Sunderland also being exported to China and North America.
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