Nissan commitment a ‘vote of confidence’ in UK, says Johnson
Boris Johnson has today hailed Nissan after the Japanese carmaker said that Brexit could be an “opportunity” for the firm.
As a result of the free trade deal with the EU, Nissan said that the future of its plant in Sunderland was secure.
It added that it would move additional battery production capacity to the north-east in response to the deal.
The carmaker currently builds about 30,000 Leaf electric cars in Sunderland, using locally sourced-batteries.
Chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta also described the current supply problems at the UK’s ports as “peanuts”.
“For a global manufacturer to have additional documentation to fill a form at the border is nothing. People prepared for it, we have updated our software, we have updated our processes. It’s OK”, he said.
His comments met with approval from the Prime Minister, who tweeted that it was a “great vote of confidence” in the UK.
Nissan, one of the north-east’s biggest employers, makes about 350,000 cars a year at its plant in Sunderland.
The uncertainty surrounding the Brexit deal meant that the firm had raised the possibility of moving out of the UK in the event of tariffs being put on trade with the EU.
But with December’s deal avoiding any new tariffs on the car industry provided firms comply with rules of origin demands, much of the potential damage to UK-based automakers has been avoided.
Nevertheless, other car giants have been more cautious in their commitments to the UK.
Earlier this week, the chef executive of new conglomerate Stellantis said that it would take a decision on future investment into its UK-based Vauxhall brand in the coming weeks.