New electric Nissan Juke and Qashqai to be built alongside new Nissan LEAF in Sunderland

Nissan announces the next generation of the LEAF, Qashqai and Juke will be pure EVs and produced in Sunderland.

We’ve recently had a spate of concept cars from Nissan, including the Hyper Punk Concept and Hyper Urban Concept, both of which Nissan now confirms will morph in to new electric cars. Not only that, but the Nissan Chill-Out Concept from 2021 will also become a production model too.

All three of the new models will be built in Sunderland as part of a £3 billion investment to make Nissan’s entire UK production electric, with the Hyper Punk turning in to a new electric Nissan Juke, the Hyper Urban in to the next generation electric Nissan Qashqai and the Chill-Out becoming the next generation Nissan LEAF.

Not only will Sunderlnad become an entirely electric production plant, it will also include three gigafactory units to produce the batteries needed, with one already in existence, a second currently being constructed and a third to be added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, which already contributes a massive £71 billion a year to our economy. This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.

Making the UK the best place to do business is at the heart of our economic plan. We will continue to back businesses like Nissan to expand and grow their roots in the UK every step of the way as we make the right long term decisions for a brighter future.

It’s all good news for Sunderland and UK PLC, and it seems clear Nissan’s investement has been aided by governement funding, but to what degree hasn’t been revealed.