Columnist

Celebrating Nissan's North East success story

The North East has every right to be proud of its automotive industry. 

We have a highly skilled workforce, a strong manufacturing base and a supply chain that supports businesses and jobs across the region.

Supporting manufacturing isn’t just about attracting investment or celebrating new announcements, though. 

It is also about creating demand for the products we make here.

That is the thinking behind a new member benefit from the North East Automotive Alliance, which has been developed in partnership with Lookers Motor Group and Select Lease by Mobilize, with support from Nissan Motor GB.

It gives North East Automotive Alliance members, their families and their friends access to competitive offers on some of the country’s most successful home-produced models.

The initiative is part of the North East Automotive Alliance’s ongoing commitment to delivering added value for members while highlighting the strength and capabilities of the North East automotive industry.

In many ways, the interesting part isn’t the offer; it is the opportunity to make a stronger connection between the businesses and people within our automotive community and one of the region’s most important manufacturing facilities.

Nissan’s Sunderland plant has been a major part of the North East economy for decades. 

Its impact stretches well beyond the factory, supporting a network of manufacturers, engineers, logistics businesses and specialist suppliers.

The cars produced demonstrate the expertise we have developed in the region.

The Qashqai has been designed and built in the UK for 20 years, while the Leaf has been manufactured in Sunderland since 2013, helping establish the plant as an important centre for electric vehicle production.

Just days ago, it was revealed Nissan’s Wearside plant will make the hybrid Kicks model through a £170 million investment.  

With such a significant automotive manufacturing plant on our doorstep, making North East-built cars an attractive prospect for people considering their next vehicle should be a priority. 

The quality, technology and expertise behind these cars speak for themselves, while choosing a vehicle built here also helps keep more of that spending within the North East economy, supporting the wider industry and the people who work within it.

That wider economic contribution matters as the automotive industry goes through a period of significant change. 

The North East has to continue investing in skills, technology and innovation if it is to remain competitive and build on the manufacturing strengths we already have.

We should also recognise the value of what we have.

The knowledge and expertise built up around Nissan Sunderland and the wider North East automotive cluster have taken decades to develop. 

They are a significant regional asset and must be protected.

As the industry changes, strengthening the relationship between the sector and the communities around it will become increasingly important.

For the North East Automotive Alliance, this member benefit is one way of doing that. 

More importantly, it is a reminder that supporting our manufacturing base is not just the responsibility of manufacturers or the Government. 

We all have a part to play in recognising the value of what is produced on our doorstep.

Paul Butler is chief executive of the North East Automotive Alliance

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