Nissan ignores Sunak and ramps up EV manufacturing at Sunderland plant

Japanese car manufacturer Nissan is set to ignore Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s attempts to postpone the transition to electric vehicles. In a bold move, Nissan has announced that all of its new cars sold in Europe will be electric by the year 2030.

Nissan has made substantial investments, amounting to hundreds of millions, to significantly increase the production of electric vehicles at its Sunderland plant. Additionally, Nissan has been collaborating closely with its battery partner, Envision AESC, to augment the production of power units in the Wearside region.

Despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent decision to do a U-turn on the initial deadline for the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035, Nissan, a pioneer in mass-producing electric vehicles, remains unwavering in its commitment to the 2030 timeline. The company is determined to achieve an “all-electric lineup in Europe” by the stipulated date.

Makoto Uchida, Nissan’s president and CEO, said: “EV is the ultimate mobility solution. More than a million customers have already joined our journey and experienced the fun of a Nissan electric vehicle, and there is no turning back now. EVs powered by renewables are key to us achieving carbon neutrality, which is central to our Ambition 2030 vision. Nissan will make the switch to full electric by 2030 in Europe – we believe it is the right thing to do for our business, our customers and for the planet.”

Nissan first unveiled its EV36Zero plan in 2021, committing to working with Envision and Sunderland City Council to produce electric cars and batteries for the UK and European markets with the use of renewable energy in the North East.