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Nissan’s Sunderland plant seeks deal to build cars for China’s Chery
The Sunderland plant is operating at barely half capacity and is looking for a new arrangement as Brexit uncertainty threatens its export model.
The Guardian Business reports that Nissan’s underutilised Sunderland car plant is in talks to build vehicles for China’s Chery, a deal that is not yet confirmed.
The article says the factory is operating at barely half its capacity, and that Brexit threats to the plant’s export-led model have increased the pressure to secure additional demand.
It also describes how the Sunderland factory has supported the wider north-east automotive supply chain, including Turntide in Gateshead, which assembles prototype battery packs for Hitachi’s hybrid trains.
The report adds that Hyperdrive, one of the businesses combined into US-owned Turntide, previously secured its first batteries from a factory supplying Nissan, illustrating how major manufacturers can provide stable jobs and local economic spillovers.