Infiniti confirms UK production

Infiniti will manufacture vehicles in Washington, United Kingdom. The company, which is part of Nissan, has announced that it will make a £250m investment into the factory in the north east, and expects to create 1000 jobs in the process.

Nissan has come a long way since car production in the Sunderland area started in 1986. Back then, it built the Bluebird, and there was little local content in the car. Today, the Qashqai and Juke are built at this factory, and in 2012, it's expected that more than 500,000 of the British designed and engineered cars will be manufactured at Nissan Sunderland - making this Britain's largest car manufacturer.

Infiniti intends to build its all-new compact executive car at the factory, with production commencing in 2015. It's expected that production will run at around 60,000 of Infiniti's 3 Series rival per year. During 2012, employment on the site exceeded 6000 for the first time and global exports from the plant now exceed five million units.

Because of capacity limitations at Sunderland, securing the new Infiniti will mean that a C-segment hatchback previously announced for the plant in April will be manufactured elsewhere. Sourcing for this vehicle will be decided and announced at a later date.

Prime Minister David Cameron commented: 'This investment is excellent news for the North East and another vote of confidence for UK manufacturing. The continued success of Nissan in the UK demonstrates the strength of the car industry here, and its importance, as we rebalance and grow the economy. This announcement shows how the car industry in partnership with the Government continues to win important long term investment projects, in a tough competitive sector; helping the UK to get ahead in the global race.'