Nissan may share its factory in Britain with Chery
Nissan has held talks with Chery about the possible start of production of cars of the Chinese concern at its plant in British Sunderland. As the Financial Times reported on April 16, this is an example of another attempt by familiar old automakers to establish partnerships with competitors in order to ensure their factories' future. Details about the outcome of the negotiations were not disclosed.
According to the publication, the Nissan plant in Sunderland is about 50% loaded. The organization of an enterprise with separate production lines in different buildings facilitates the joint use of the site with other automakers. Recently, the British plant was only 30% loaded, but it was possible to remedy the situation by launching the production of a new generation Leaf electric car. It is expected that a new Juke electric car will be produced there, which will go on sale in 2027.
However, as the newspaper points out, the future of the plant is still in doubt due to Nissan's large-scale restructuring program, which includes the closure of some enterprises and the reduction of 20,000 jobs worldwide.
Other major automakers, including Ford, Stellantis and Volkswagen, have also been in talks with Chinese companies such as Geely and BYD over the past year regarding the use of idle capacity at European plants. Well-known non-Chinese automobile concerns are facing sluggish demand and high production costs, the note says.
As for Chery, earlier this year it agreed to purchase a Nissan car factory in South Africa. The Chinese concern also owns a factory in Barcelona, which was acquired from this Japanese company.
Meanwhile, the Chinese crossover brand Jaecoo, which is part of the Chery group, has become the best-selling new car in the UK. As reported on April 8, the Jaecoo 7 outperformed such popular competitors as the Ford Puma, Nissan Qashqai and Kia Sportage in sales.
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