Lex Autolease welcomes Nissan EV expansion in North-East

THE managing director of Lex Autolease has welcomed the expansion of Nissan manufacturing at the EV36Zero hub in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear.

Nissan’s blueprint for future manufacturing, will consist of three electric vehicles (EVs), three gigafactories and up to £3bn investment.

Commenting on the news of Nissan’s investment in EV manufacturing, Nick Williams, managing director, Lex Autolease, part of Lloyds Banking Group said:

For the UK to remain a leader in vehicle electrification, it is vital that government departments and industry bodies continue to work together to encourage manufacturers that Britain is the most attractive place to invest in electric vehicle production.

Commitments such as this one by Nissan are key to the UK delivering on the ambitions set out its Road to Zero policy, and it’s clear that the long-term policy framework from the government, which includes the ZEV mandate, is providing manufacturers with the confidence they need to invest in the UK.

By ensuring the product supply and supporting charge network is in place, we can continue to help individual drivers and businesses accelerate their transition to an electric future.

Nick Williams, managing director, Lex Autolease Tweet

The three new electric vehicles represent the future for all three models currently manufactured in Nissan Sunderland Plant. They will be:

Nissan Qashqai – the original crossover, the UK’s best-selling car of 2022 and which represents one in five of all cars built in the UK.
Nissan JUKE – the rule-breaking compact crossover which has sold more than one million units.
Nissan LEAF – the world’s first mass market EV, of which more than a quarter of a million have been built in Sunderland.

Nissan said that its three future models would be inspired by three exciting all-electric concept models, two of which were recently unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show:

The Nissan Hyper Urban Concept, a crossover EV characterised by a sleek and modern aesthetic.
The Nissan Hyper Punk Concept, an all-electric compact crossover with an exterior aesthetic defined by multifaceted and polygonal surfaces.
The Nissan Chill-Out Concept, unveiled in 2021 and previously confirmed as the inspiration for a future EV to be built in Sunderland.

Further information about the three models, including names, specifications and launch dates, would be released at a later time, said Nissan.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the investment, saying: “Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry.”