10:12 am, June 20, 2019
THE 10 millionth vehicle has rolled off the production line at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland.
It has taken the plant 33 years to reach the 10 million mark – making it the fastest car factory in the UK to hit the landmark figure.
It also means that, on average, a new car has been built in Sunderland every two minutes since production started in 1986.
If all 10 million cars were parked nose-to-tail, they would stretch for more than 26,000 miles – which is enough to go all the way around the equator, with a few to spare.
Steve Marsh, Nissan Sunderland Plant vice president, manufacturing, said: ‘Building 10 million vehicles is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the plant.’
The landmark car was a Vivid Blue Nissan Qashqai Tekna, complete with ProPILOT technology, which controls the steering, acceleration and braking in a single lane on highways during heavy traffic congestion and high-speed cruising.
The pioneering crossover is also the most produced model at the plant, contributing more than 3.4 million to the overall figure. Micra is the second most produced car, with close to 2.4 million having been built in Sunderland.
The factory was built on the site of a former airfield, with a ground-breaking ceremony taking place in July 1984.
The first Bluebird rolled off the line two years later in 1986, and 5,139 cars were manufactured in the first year. The total workforce at that time was 470, compared to about 7,000 today.
MORE: Motorline Nissan Reading creates jobs with new dealership
MORE: Customers welcomed to superb new workshop at McLaren New Forest
MORE: Ten weirdest things car buyers take to test drives
