A spokesman at Nissan's Sunderland plant has told AutomotiveWorld.com that the company does not wish to comment on a newspaper report which claims there will be no UK build of the next generation Micra. According to the Sunday Times, which quotes Nissan's chief executive, even with the assistance of a recently weaker pound, the company loses money building the small car at Sunderland. Apart from the UK, most of the model's markets are in the euro zone."There will be changes at Sunderland. The plant is efficient and, with the pound declining, becoming more cost-competitive," Ghosn is quoted by the newspaper as saying. "The Micra is competing against cars made in low-cost countries. It is not profitable in Europe, but the Qashqai is."
David Swerdlow from Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK called the Sunday Times report "speculative", adding that the company is "not in a position to comment on our future model allocation strategy at this time".In January, Nissan announced plans to expand Qashqai production at Sunderland, while last month came news of a new long wheelbase derivative to be launched at July's London motor show.Nissan says its facility in England's northeast achieved record annual production volume of 353,000 units of Qashqai, Note, Micra and Micra C+C in 2007, surpassing its previous high of 332,000 set in 2003, but does not state if the plant is profitable overall.The replacement for the Nissan March (X02A) is due in Japan in April 2009, giving the current car a long model life, the third generation series having premiered at the Tokyo motor show in October 2001. Build is again expected to be at the Oppama plant. As yet there is no news on whether Micra-badged cars will be sourced from this Japanese facility or whether models for Europe will be built elsewhere.
source:automotive news
David Swerdlow from Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK called the Sunday Times report "speculative", adding that the company is "not in a position to comment on our future model allocation strategy at this time".In January, Nissan announced plans to expand Qashqai production at Sunderland, while last month came news of a new long wheelbase derivative to be launched at July's London motor show.Nissan says its facility in England's northeast achieved record annual production volume of 353,000 units of Qashqai, Note, Micra and Micra C+C in 2007, surpassing its previous high of 332,000 set in 2003, but does not state if the plant is profitable overall.The replacement for the Nissan March (X02A) is due in Japan in April 2009, giving the current car a long model life, the third generation series having premiered at the Tokyo motor show in October 2001. Build is again expected to be at the Oppama plant. As yet there is no news on whether Micra-badged cars will be sourced from this Japanese facility or whether models for Europe will be built elsewhere.
source:automotive news
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