According to Nissan, the announcement represents an investment of around £250m into the facility and is expected to create a further 1,000 jobs at Sunderland and across the UK.
‘Today’s news is a strong endorsement of the quality of Britain’s car industry, which is creating jobs, taking on apprentices and contributing to building a stronger economy,’ said business secretary Vince Cable in a statement. ‘The auto sector is living up to being one of the great success stories of our industrial strategy and a testimony to government and private sector working together in close partnership.’
When production begins in 2015, Infiniti will become the first new car brand to be manufactured in the UK on this scale in 23 years.
The UK production of Infiniti is expected to create an additional 1,000 jobs across the country, including 280 jobs at the Sunderland plant, with a capacity to produce 60,000 Infiniti models per year.
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.
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17 months or two and a half years - which is it?