Nissan Qashqai is the 10 MILLIONTH Nissan built in Sunderland

Nissan’s Plant in Sunderland has become the fastest UK site to hit the 10 million car production milestone, 33 years since Nissan arrived in the UK.

Recent news from Nissan’s Plant in Sunderland hasn’t been too rosy, with Infiniti production ending as Infiniti pull out of the UK and Europe, and job cuts as diesel sales slump.

But what we mustn’t forget is just how successful Nissan has been in the UK – and how much they’ve contributed to the UK economy – in the 33 years since they first set up shop to build cars in the UK.

It all started in 1986 with production of the Nissan Bluebird, since when Nissan has built the Almera, Juke, Note, Primera, Micra, Qashqai, LEAF and the Infiniti Q30 near the banks of the River Wear.

Still in production at the Sunderland Plant are the Nissan Qashqai – which hit three million produced last year – the Nissan Juke – which hit one million last year too – and the Nissan LEAF, with more than 140,000 produced so far.

Now Nissan hits the 10 million production milestone in Sunderland – the fastest car plant in the UK to hit that milestone – and, appropriately, as Nissan’s biggest seller in the UK, it was a Qashqai that was the 10 millionth car.

Steve Marsh, Nissan Sunderland VP, said:

Building ten million vehicles is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the plant.

Reaching this huge figure has called on all the ingenuity, commitment and spirit of our highly skilled workforce, many of who hail from the North East of England.

Together we are determined to continue to drive up the high quality standards our customers have come to expect over the last three decades.

The next few years for Nissan in the UK may be difficult with Brexit to be sorted, but the 7,000 workforce in Sunderland – and many more in the supply chain – have much to thank Nissan for.