7:30 am, September 29, 2022
Electrified versions of Nissan’s Qashqai and Juke models have begun rolling off the production lines in Sunderland.
The Qashqai now comes with Nissan’s e-Power system – a first for the company in Europe – while its B-segment Juke stablemate now has an advanced hybrid powertrain.
Their launch comes as combined production of the two crossover models at the Sunderland factory passes five million units.
Built alongside the all-electric Leaf, the technologies mean that every model built by Nissan in the UK now has an electrified version.
Alan Johnson, Nissan’s vice-president for manufacturing in the UK, said: ‘With more than five million customers, Qashqai and Juke are two of our plant’s most successful and popular models.
‘Both e-Power and hybrid technologies are firsts for the team in Sunderland, so it’s fantastic to see the electrified versions rolling off our two production lines.’
The two electrified models are part of a previously announced £500m investment by Nissan at Sunderland to build the current generations of Qashqai and Juke.
It includes a £10m state-of-the-art battery assembly facility, where battery packs are made for the e-Power and hybrid powertrains before being delivered for fitting.
Battery assembly at the Nissan plant in SunderlandSince the Leaf started production in 2011, staff at Nissan Sunderland have undergone more than two million hours of training in manufacturing electrified vehicles, with more planned for the months and years ahead.
Johnson added: ‘Our plant is built on the foundations of 36 years of manufacturing excellence from our world-class people and advanced facilities.
‘Two million hours of training just for electrification shows we are taking that to the next level as we lead the charge towards an electrified future.
‘And of course we’ll continue to deliver brilliant, technologically advanced cars to the high standards of quality that our customers have come to love.’
