Nissan ditches plan to build new X-Trail model in Britain
Uncertainty over Brexit spurs carmaker to make U-turn on UK plans and consolidate production in Japan
London — Carmaker Nissan has scrapped plans to build its new X-Trail SUV in Britain, saying it took the decision to consolidate production in Japan and warning two months before Brexit that uncertainty was making it harder to plan for the future. Nissan said four months after Britain voted to leave the EU in June 2016 that it would manufacture the new X-Trail in Britain, which was seen as a major vote of confidence in the country and then new Prime Minister Theresa May. A source said that Nissan received a letter from the government at the time promising extra support in the event that Britain’s departure from the EU hit the competitiveness of its north of England Sunderland plant. But on Sunday, Nissan, which operates Britain's single-biggest car factory where it builds about 30% of the country’s 1.52- million cars, said it was reversing that decision. “The company has decided to optimise its investments in Europe by consolidating X-Trail production in Kyushu, the production hub fo...
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