New Press Line Underscores Nissan’s Commitment to U.K.

The £52 million ($67 million) line is part of the automaker’s ramping up of preparations for its next-generation Qashqai CUV, which has been built at Sunderland since 2006.

Paul Myles, European Editor

March 13, 2020

1 Min Read
Nissan Sunderland UK XL press
New press recycles scrap material.

Nissan signals it is keeping faith in its U.K. car production post-Brexit by unveiling an XL press line at its Sunderland manufacturing plant.

The £52 million ($67 million) line is part of the automaker’s ramping up of preparations for its next-generation Qashqai CUV.

The press weighs more than 2,000 tons and has taken 18 months to install. It is part of Nissan’s £400 million ($516 million) overall investment in the new model entering its third generation.

Nissan’s investment in the press includes a recycling system to segregate and process scrap material and upgrades to the existing blanking line which will supply flat blanks – the sheets of metal that are ready to be stamped – to the XL press. It can form more than 6.1 million vehicle panels a year.

The first specially commissioned panels on the press are produced at a ceremony led by Nissan chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta, who says: “When the first Nissan Qashqai rolled off the line in Sunderland in 2006, it created the crossover segment. Designed, engineered and made in the U.K., and more than 3 million vehicles later, it remains the benchmark.”

This month also marks the 10th anniversary of the first Juke to roll off the line in Sunderland. The second-generation model has been built exclusively in Sunderland since October 2019.

Nissan has pledged a total of £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in investment in the plant over five years and has received support from the U.K. government’s Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy.

About the Author

Paul Myles

European Editor, Informa Group

Paul Myles is an award-winning journalist based in Europe covering all aspects of the automotive industry. He has a wealth of experience in the field working at specialist, national and international levels.

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