UK: JATCO builds new factory to supply Nissan plant with electric drives
The motors will be used in the three electric models manufactured by Nissan in Sunderland, specifically in the successor to the Leaf and in the all-electric versions of the Qashqai and Juke. JATCO anticipates a production capacity of 340,000 units when the facility is completed in 2026.
The automotive automatic transmission manufacturer has invested £48.7 million (around 57.7 million euros) in the 138,840 sq ft facility (around 12,898 m2). Moreover, it says the new manufacturing site will create up to 183 “highly skilled jobs.”
“I am so proud to officially open JATCO UK in the North East of England,” said JATCO CEO Tomoyoshi Sato. “We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Nissan and we are delighted to bring the manufacture of our 3-in-1 powertrain to the UK. This will be our fourth country for an overseas production plant, with other locations in Mexico, China, and Thailand.”
Alan Johnson, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Purchasing for Nissan AMIEO, added: “Welcoming a key supplier to the North East of England provides a big boost to the efficiency of our supply chain. We look forward to continuing our long and successful partnership as we push towards our electric future.”
The new facility was financed in part by a grant from the UK government, though the exact amount is not specified. The latter introduces so-called zero-emission vehicle (ZEV mandates), stipulating that at least 22 per cent of cars sold must be locally emission-free. Nissan is thus one step closer to fulfilling the quota, which will gradually increase to 100 per cent by 2030.
Nissan plans to start production of the new all-electric Leaf in Sunderland in March. Production of the previous generation ended roughly a year ago. The next generation has yet to be officially unveiled. Since the future Leaf will take clues from the Chill-Out study, it will resemble a compact crossover more than a small car. The platform will probably be the CMF-EV (like the Nissan Ariya), which alliance partner Renault and its electric subsidiary Ampere now refer to as the AmpR Medium, as reported.
The Japanese carmaker also converted the former battery assembly line for the Leaf in its UK factory into a vehicle assembly line for the first-ever battery-electric Juke. A second battery factory is under construction in Sunderland, with an annual capacity of 12 GWh, which will be enough to power 100,000 EVs.
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