The future of Nissan Sunderland is expected to be outlined at the end of May. The UK plant builds cars for the UK and Europe and the Japanese car maker is preparing a new global production plan which will see a 20% reduction in capacity and that is expected to see it concentrate on the Far East and USA. There was a report this week that it is about to announce the closure of its pickup and ev … [Read more...]
BREAKING NEWS; Infiniti close Sunderlnd, pull out of Europe
Nissan’s luxury Infiniti brand is ending production in Sunderland and pulling out of Western Europe. Production of the Q30 and QX30 will cease within months at the plant which was told just last month that it will not get the next Nissan X Trail SUV. The decision is likely to wipe thousands of pounds off the value of any UK Infiniti models and leave hundreds of Infiniti users with … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 December
Car-parts entrepreneur Ian Warhust has stepped in to save the Bloodhound supersonic speed project after it went into administration in November. The 1,000mph Bloodhound team said it is being bought for an undisclosed amount by the Barnsley businessman and a future plan will be unveiled in January. As many as 20 million individual Christmas leisure trips will take place this week in the … [Read more...]
Diesel decline accelerated last month
Diesel’s decline continued on new car forecourts last month. It was the 12 consecutive month of falling sales but an inflated registration spike in March 2017 to beat tougher emissions requirements and tax rates has distorted the tables for March 2018 although the underlying trend is bad for diesel. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders today show a 37.2% drop over … [Read more...]
Renault-Nissan heading for World No1
The Renault-Nissan alliance which has acquired a controlling stake in Mitsubishi is on target to become the world’s biggest manufacturer. Even before it took Mitsubishi under its wing, the Franco-Japanese company thought it would be in the world’s top three by 2018, with VW and Toyota vying for the top spot. But the Mitsubishi deal has moved them ahead in production and JATO Dynamics says it … [Read more...]
Infiniti offer brightest a chance at F1 engineering
Applications opened for the 2017 edition of the Infiniti Engineering Academy - Infiniti's global search for the best and brightest engineering talent. Now in its fourth successive year, the Academy will once again offer seven engineering students from different regions across the world an unparalleled opportunity to join a 12-month placement working on both automotive and Formula One … [Read more...]
Newslines 7 March
The Peugeot 3008 has been judged Car of the Year 2017 on the eve of the Geneva motor show and three years after its sibling 308 took the title. Journalists from around the world tested the top models released in the last year and it beat finalists, AR Giulia, Citroen C3, MB E-Class, Nissan Micra, Toyota C-HR and Volvo S90/ V90. The revolutionary hypercar being co-developed by Aston … [Read more...]
Welsh parts supplier is sold to US investment firm
West Wales car parts maker Calsonic Kansei has been bought out. The subsidiary of Nissan has been acquired by US firm of KKR & Co. in a deal said to be worth about £3.61 Billion. It beat out rival private equity firms Bain Capital and MBK Partners, which, according to Thomson Reuters LPC, had bid to buy Nissan's stake. Japan's second-biggest automaker opened the auction to sell the stake … [Read more...]
Status quo shouldn’t rock the boat
Japanese car markers want to maintain the current business environment and the alleviation of the impact of any radical changes so that the UK remains an attractive destination for doing business, says leading automotive economist Prof Garel Rhys. The “alleviation” includes Government compensation for any tariff imposed on its vehicles exported to the EU and any levies imposed on parts imported … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Infiniti Q30 Premium 1.6 2WD
Timing is everything when it comes to selling cars. The Infiniti Q30 Premium 1600 with 2WD is pitched into the heart of the booming SUV sector and it’s the latest model to come out of the highly successful Sunderland vehicle assembly plant operated by Nissan, the parent company of Infiniti. It’s stylish and looks the part of an SUV with a choice of 2WD or AWD, is well made and … [Read more...]