Nissan ponders building cars for Chinese rivals at Sunderland plant

"Asked about the Chery talks on Sunderland, Espinosa said: The plant is operating well, is a viable plant. The problem that we have at this location is the volume. So if we can find a smart way of bringing more volume in, we might consider doing something. Espinosa added that there was nothing specific about any partner to announce today, or any options, but this is something that we would likely look into considering."

"Nissan announced last week it was closing one of its two production lines at Sunderland, in north-east England, because of faltering demand for its vehicles. However, it has held talks to produce vehicles on behalf of Chery, according to industry sources. Nissan’s turnaround plan pins hopes on AI-defined vehicles' Asked about the Chery talks on Sunderland, Espinosa said: The plant is operating well, is a viable plant."

"Several carmakers in Europe have discussed sharing factory space with Chinese manufacturers. Ford has reportedly held talks with Geely over the sale of part of a plant in Valencia, Spain, while Stellantis the owner of brands including Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall announced last week it would build cars for Leapmotor at its factories in Madrid and Zaragoza. BYD, the world’s largest maker of electric cars, is negotiating with Stellantis and other European carmakers over potentially taking over underused factories."

"We are talking to not only Stellantis, we’re talking to other companies too, Li said at a Financial Times conference in London. We are looking for any available plant in Europe because we do want to utilise this ki"

Nissan’s chief executive said the Sunderland plant operates well and is viable, but current volume is the main problem. He indicated Nissan would consider producing vehicles for other manufacturers at the UK facility, with talks involving China’s Chery. Nissan is facing steep annual losses and has already announced the closure of one of its two Sunderland production lines due to weak demand. The executive said there is no specific partner to announce yet, but options are being considered. European carmakers have discussed sharing or selling factory capacity to Chinese firms, including Ford with Geely, Stellantis with Leapmotor, and BYD negotiating with European companies about taking over underused plants.

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