Ten millionth vehicle built at Nissan Sunderland Plant

2019/06/20

• Nissan Sunderland Plant becomes the fastest UK site to reach the milestone
• On average the plant has built a car every two minutes since production started
• Parked bumper to bumper, the 10m cars would stretch around the globe

SUNDERLAND, UK – Nissan Sunderland Plant is celebrating another record breaking milestone as the ten millionth vehicle rolls of the production line.

It has taken the plant 33 years to reach the ten million mark – making it the fastest car factory in the UK to 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.

And if all ten million cars were parked nose to tail they would stretch for more than 42,000km – which is enough to go all the way around the equator of the world, with a few to spare.

Steve Marsh, Nissan Sunderland Plant Vice President, Manufacturing, said: "Building ten million vehicles is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the plant.

"Reaching this huge figure has called on all the ingenuity, commitment and spirit of our highly skilled workforce, many of who hail from the North East of England.

"Together we are determined to continue to drive up the high quality standards our customers have come to expect over the last three decades."

The ten millionth 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 being built in Sunderland.

Qashqai is one of nine main models to be built at the plant since the first Bluebird was built in 1986 and it is one of three currently made at the plant, alongside the all-electric LEAF and Juke. Last year production of Juke passed one million, with Primera the only other model to hit seven figures at just under 1.5 million.

Nissan Sunderland Plant 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 production for the first year was 5,139. The total workforce at that time was 470, compared to about 7,000 today.

TOTAL PRODUCTION BY VEHICLE (sorted by volume at end of May 2019)

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About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2018, the company sold 5.52 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.6 trillion yen. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, the Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance sold 10.76 million vehicles combined in calendar year 2018.
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.

Media contact
Ben Guy, Nissan Sunderland Plant
Tel: +44 (0) 191 4152038
M: +44 (0) 7779 783652
ben.guy@nissan-nmuk.co.uk

Stuart Boyd, Nissan Sunderland Plant
Tel: +44 (0) 191 418 9384
M:+44 (0)7580 330 850
Stuart.boyd@nissan-nmuk.co.uk