- Second generation Juke to strengthen Nissan’s crossover leadership
- Further £100m investment in future of UK’s biggest car plant
- UK Chancellor welcomes outlook for 34,000 automotive jobs
Sunderland, UK – Five years after inventing the small crossover, Nissan announces a new generation Nissan Juke is slated for production in the UK.
The estimated £100m investment is a further endorsement of the quality of output from the Sunderland plant, and a statement of Nissan’s intent to remain the undisputed crossover leaders.
Following the launch of the second-generation Nissan Qashqai in 2013, future Juke allocation points to a secure future for both production lines in Sunderland and the jobs of 34,000 people currently employed by Nissan and its British suppliers beyond 2020.
Nissan Europe chairman Paul Willcox will today join colleagues in Sunderland to celebrate the announcement.
Willcox said: “Juke’s unique design is one of the reasons Nissan is now the undisputed crossover leader, underpinning five consecutive years of sales growth in Europe.
“With the next generation Juke now confirmed for future production, customers can be assured that Nissan is going to remain the benchmark in the crossover segment for many years to come.
“This announcement also gives security to our Sunderland plant beyond 2020, which the team has earned through many years of hard work and their ability to continually raise the bar on quality.”
Giving a further boost to the UK car industry, Nissan’s European design team in Paddington, London, and European Engineering Headquarters in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, will be instrumental in the development of this new model – ensuring the European customer needs and taste are incorporated into the second generation Juke.
The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon George Osborne MP, said: “It’s fantastic news that Nissan will be building their new car here in Sunderland and securing valuable jobs for thousands of working people in the area.
“Our ambitious plan to build the Northern Powerhouse means building on the area’s strengths – including manufacturing - and this announcement is an important sign of Britain being chosen as a global leader in car production.”
Now firmly established as the reference point for B-segment crossovers, and Nissan’s second best-selling car in Europe, Juke has been turning heads since its launch in 2010 on Nissan’s Line 2 in Sunderland.
Its success has led to the Sunderland plant achieving 500,000 volumes in each of the past three years, with 80% of output exported to over 130 markets. Current models also include the Nissan Note and the all-electric Nissan LEAF, with production of the Infiniti Q30 due to begin later this year.
Refreshed in 2014, the Juke is now offered with personalisation options and a host of exciting and innovative technology and styling features. Additionally and also made in Sunderland, the Juke NISMO RS is the performance version of the popular crossover, with years of racetrack heritage taken from the enigmatic NISMO brand marrying the Juke with impressive power credentials, aggressive styling and optimum handling capabilities.
Next generation Juke is the first model to be confirmed for the Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF-B architecture. Common Module Family (CMF) is an engineering architecture that drives synergies in all major areas, from purchasing to vehicle engineering and powertrains.
Today’s announcement follows Juke’s latest recognition, this time from the respected J.D. Power UK Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). The study of owner reported problems experienced during the first three years of vehicle ownership ranked the Nissan Juke as the number one small car and the Nissan brand fourth overall for vehicle dependability.
Nissan is now the biggest carmaker in the history of the UK car industry, with annual output exceeding 500,000 in each of the last three years and currently including the Nissan Qashqai, Juke, Note and all-electric LEAF. Nissan employs nearly 8,000 people in its UK design, engineering and manufacturing operations, supporting an additional 27,000 jobs in the UK supply chain plus 3,900 in dealerships.
Nissan is continuing to recruit for a range of positions, with all jobs and further information available at the website www.careersatnissan.co.uk
About Nissan in the UK
- Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Note and Juke and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF
- Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than eight million units with 80 per cent of production exported to over 100 markets worldwide
- Total investment made and announced since 1986 is over £3.5 billion
- 500,237 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2014
- In 2014, one in three cars built in the UK was a Nissan
- Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 6,700 people
- Nissan's European Design Centre is located in Paddington, London and employs around 65 people
- Nissan's European Technical Centre is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and employs around 1,000 people
- Nissan’s sales and marketing headquarters in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire employs around 190 people
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,600 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last financial year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 675,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, small cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular electric vehicle with 96% of customers willing to recommend the car to friends. Nissan now offers a strong line-up of 23 diverse and innovative models in Europe under the Nissan and Datsun brands.
About Renault-Nissan Alliance Common Module Family
Further information is available at http://blog.alliance-renault-nissan.com/content/common-module-family-cmf-new-approach-engineering-renault-nissan-alliance
