Photo: Nissan
The consequences of Brexit are far and wide between, but as far as the automotive industry is concerned, everyone is feeling the pressure. A no-deal Brexit could cost Ford up to $1 billion, but Nissan decided to take matters into its own hands with the next generation of the X-Trail.
For the European market, the X-Trail (a.k.a. Rogue in the United States) will be manufactured in Kyushu, Japan. The mid-size SUV was planned for production in Sunderland as announced in 2016, but the impending withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union left no room for bargaining.
Production of the Juke and Qashqai remains unaffected, with Nissan confirming Sunderland as their global production hub going forward. "A model like X-Trail is manufactured in multiple locations globally, and can therefore be re-evaluated based on changes to the business environment,” declared Hideyuki Sakamoto.
The executive VP for manufacturing and supply chain management is backed up by Gianluca de Ficchy, chairman of the automaker’s European division. “Nissan is investing heavily in new technologies and powertrains for the next generation of vehicles in our Sunderland plant. To support this we are taking advantage of our global assets, and with X-Trail already manufactured in Japan, we can reduce our upfront investment costs.”
You might be fooled into thinking Gianluca is sweetening the post-Brexit sourness, but that’s not the case. “While we have taken this decision for business reasons, the continued uncertainty around the United Kingdom's future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future."
The Leaf, which is Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle, is produced in Sunderland as well. No fewer than 46,989 were made in 2018, up 177 percent from the previous year. If push comes to shove following Brexit, Nissan won’t hesitate to redirect production to Oppama in Japan or Smyrna in Tennessee.
Speaking of the Leaf, the e+ upgrade will launch in Europe “in the coming months.” As the name implies, the battery’s capacity is larger than 40 kWh. In total, Nissan managed to shoehorn 62 kWh into the compact-sized hatchback.
Production of the Juke and Qashqai remains unaffected, with Nissan confirming Sunderland as their global production hub going forward. "A model like X-Trail is manufactured in multiple locations globally, and can therefore be re-evaluated based on changes to the business environment,” declared Hideyuki Sakamoto.
The executive VP for manufacturing and supply chain management is backed up by Gianluca de Ficchy, chairman of the automaker’s European division. “Nissan is investing heavily in new technologies and powertrains for the next generation of vehicles in our Sunderland plant. To support this we are taking advantage of our global assets, and with X-Trail already manufactured in Japan, we can reduce our upfront investment costs.”
You might be fooled into thinking Gianluca is sweetening the post-Brexit sourness, but that’s not the case. “While we have taken this decision for business reasons, the continued uncertainty around the United Kingdom's future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future."
The Leaf, which is Europe’s best-selling electric vehicle, is produced in Sunderland as well. No fewer than 46,989 were made in 2018, up 177 percent from the previous year. If push comes to shove following Brexit, Nissan won’t hesitate to redirect production to Oppama in Japan or Smyrna in Tennessee.
Speaking of the Leaf, the e+ upgrade will launch in Europe “in the coming months.” As the name implies, the battery’s capacity is larger than 40 kWh. In total, Nissan managed to shoehorn 62 kWh into the compact-sized hatchback.
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