Nissan is the latest manufacturer to announce the closure of a factory in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic
Nissan has confirmed that production at its facility in Sunderland has been suspended due to the current coronavirus outbreak and resulting drop in customer demand.
The facility is the UK’s largest car factory, employing around 7,000 people. All staff have sent home with no date put in place for when the factory may reopen. The announcement follows similar moves from Ford, VW and the PSA Group.
In an official statement the company said: "Vehicle production has been suspended today in Nissan Sunderland. Further measures are currently under study as we assess supply chain disruption and the sudden drop in market demand caused by the COVID-19 emergency.”
The Japanese car firm also cited disruption to its supply chain as another reason for the temporary shut down. It’s estimated there are a further 24,000 jobs in the supply chain linked to the factory, which will also be affected by the closure.
Since the plant opened in 1986, over seven million cars have been produced at Sunderland, with 2012 marking a record year of production as 510,572 cars were built. Before the suspension, the factory was gearing up to prepare for production of the next-generation Qashqai, which is due to launch next year.
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