Nissan celebrates 10m cars from its Sunderland plant
There shouldn't be any shortage of great new car deals on Nissan motors any time soon – because the brand is currently celebrating having seen its ten millionth car roll off the production line at the Sunderland manufacturing plant.
It has taken just 33 years to reach this milestone, making it the fastest car factory in the UK to achieve the accolade.
On average, a new car has been built in Sunderland every two minutes since production began in 1986 – and if every car made there were parked nose to tail, the line would stretch all the way around the world's equator with a few vehicles to spare.
The very first car to be made after ground was broken in Sunderland was the Nissan Bluebird, which is sure to jog a few memories for anyone who owned one of the classic models.
However, the lucky ten millionth was a Nissan Qashqai Tekna in Vivid Blue, complete with ProPILOT technology, which shows just how far new car development has come since then.
In fact, this pioneering crossover is now the most produced model at the plant and, alongside the Juke and all-electric LEAF, one of three currently being produced there.
Nissan fans may also be pleased to hear that the Micra is the second most produced car ever at the Sunderland facility, with close to 2.4 million having rolled off the line over the years.
Last year, the Juke passed the one million mark, while Primera has also hit seven figures at just under 1.5 million made.
Nissan Sunderland vice-president of manufacturing Steve Marsh said: "Building ten million vehicles is a tremendous achievement for everyone associated with the plant. Reaching this huge figure has called on all the ingenuity, commitment and spirit of our highly-skilled workforce. Together we are determined to continue to drive up the high quality standards our customers have come to expect over the last three decades."
Build on the site of a former airfield, Nissan Sunderland now employs around 7,000 people, compared to just 470 when it first opened its doors.
Nissan also employs a highly-skilled workforce at a design studio in London, a technical centre in Bedfordshire and a sales and marketing hub in Hertfordshire.