Nissan's Chief Performance Officer Colin Dodge CBE with new Infiniti model Nissan has confirmed that its premium brand, Infiniti, will be manufactured at the production base in Sunderland, England. The announcement represents a substantial investment of around £250m into the facility from 2015, and is expected to secure a further 1,000 jobs at Sunderland and across the United Kingdom.
Colin Dodge CBE, Nissan's Executive Vice President and Chief Performance Officer, said: "This milestone, our first premium product to be manufactured at Sunderland, reconfirms our commitment to UK manufacturing and the ongoing success of the plant, which is moving up the value chain. Just as important, the new Infiniti, which will be exported around the world, is being developed with help from our London design centre and our European Technical Centre at Cranfield."
British Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Sunderland will be the only place in the world to make this new premium compact car. Nissan in the UK goes from strength to strength - not only will the new car be made here and exported all over the world, the UK has already contributed to its design and development."
The all-new premium entry compact Infiniti model is expected to be produced from 2015 and will allow the company to compete within the heart of the premium segment for the first time, underlining the brand's ambition to become a major worldwide competitor.
UK Production of Infiniti is expected to create an additional 1,000 jobs across the country, including 280 new jobs at the Sunderland Plant, with a capacity to produce 60,000 Infiniti models per year.
A C-segment hatchback previously announced for production in Sunderland, in April will be manufactured elsewhere.