Photo: Nissan
Founded in 1984, Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK is headquartered in Sunderland. Built on the site of a former RAF airfield, the factory where the Qashqai is manufactured is complemented by the Japanese automaker's distribution center and lots of on-site suppliers.
Production at Sunderland started in 1986 with the Bluebird, then the Primera and Micra followed in 1990 and 1992. As of May 2019, the Micra and Primera are listed on second and third in terms of total production at the British plant. The Qashqai reigns supreme even though it’s been introduced in 2006, tallying more than 3,416,500 examples of the breed.
33 years on, Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK reaches the ten million mark with a Vivid Blue-painted Qashqai Tekna. The vehicle is optioned with ProPilot semi-autonomous driving technologies. "Building ten million vehicles is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the plant,” said Steve Marsh, vice president of manufacturing at Sunderland.
"Together we are determined to continue to drive up the high quality standards our customers have come to expect over the last three decades,” concluded the official, but we don’t agree with everything. For starters, continuously variable transmissions built by JATCO are as unreliable as CVTs get. There’s also the matter of Renault, which took its toll on build quality ever since the alliance was formed.
The Infiniti Q30 is also manufactured in Sunderland, a Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class with a different body shell, interior, and badging. Does it come as a surprise this crossover isn’t selling well? The luxed-up brand is leaving the western part of Europe in 2020 because of poor sales, totaling 5,800 vehicles in 2018.
Turning our attention back to production, Sunderland is also the place where the Leaf is manufactured for the United Kingdom and Europe. The all-electric hatchback is joined by the Juke, which will enter the second generation for the 2020 model year.
Parked bumper to bumper, Nissan claims the 10 million vehicles manufactured in Sunderland would stretch around the globe. Considering that Earth has a circumference of 40,075 kilometers (24,901 miles), the automaker’s statement appears to be correct.
33 years on, Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK reaches the ten million mark with a Vivid Blue-painted Qashqai Tekna. The vehicle is optioned with ProPilot semi-autonomous driving technologies. "Building ten million vehicles is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the plant,” said Steve Marsh, vice president of manufacturing at Sunderland.
"Together we are determined to continue to drive up the high quality standards our customers have come to expect over the last three decades,” concluded the official, but we don’t agree with everything. For starters, continuously variable transmissions built by JATCO are as unreliable as CVTs get. There’s also the matter of Renault, which took its toll on build quality ever since the alliance was formed.
The Infiniti Q30 is also manufactured in Sunderland, a Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class with a different body shell, interior, and badging. Does it come as a surprise this crossover isn’t selling well? The luxed-up brand is leaving the western part of Europe in 2020 because of poor sales, totaling 5,800 vehicles in 2018.
Turning our attention back to production, Sunderland is also the place where the Leaf is manufactured for the United Kingdom and Europe. The all-electric hatchback is joined by the Juke, which will enter the second generation for the 2020 model year.
Parked bumper to bumper, Nissan claims the 10 million vehicles manufactured in Sunderland would stretch around the globe. Considering that Earth has a circumference of 40,075 kilometers (24,901 miles), the automaker’s statement appears to be correct.
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