Nissan will close one of two production lines at its vehicle plant in Sunderland, England, as part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at improving operational efficiency in Europe.
The company said the production line shutdown is expected to take place during the second half of 2026, although an exact date has not been announced.
Nissan currently manufactures the Nissan Qashqai, Nissan Juke, and third-generation Nissan Leaf at the Sunderland facility.
From 2027, the plant is also scheduled to begin production of battery-electric versions of the Juke and Qashqai, expanding the site’s electric vehicle lineup to three fully electric model families.
According to Nissan, the closure is intended to consolidate two underutilized production lines into a single higher-utilization line rather than reduce total manufacturing output.
The remaining line will transition to a three-shift operating structure to compensate for the reduced line count.
The automaker said production jobs at Sunderland are expected to be maintained, with workers reassigned to support the revised manufacturing schedule.
Nissan appears set to focus future production on line two at the facility, which has undergone extensive modernization in recent years. The company invested nearly 500 million euros in upgrades to support production of the latest Leaf model, which entered series production in December 2025.
The Sunderland plant produced 273,174 vehicles in 2025, according to automotive publication Autocar, compared with more than 500,000 vehicles produced at the site in 2019.
While manufacturing roles in Sunderland are expected to remain secure, Nissan confirmed that discussions are underway regarding wider workforce reductions across its European operations.
The company said it is considering reducing its European workforce by approximately 10%, affecting around 900 jobs as part of its “RE:Nissan” restructuring programme.
According to reports by the BBC, Nissan plans to partially close a warehouse operation in Barcelona and reorganize vehicle imports for Nordic markets.
The Japanese automaker operated a vehicle manufacturing plant in Barcelona until 2021 and retained warehouse operations there after ending production.
Nissan said the restructuring measures are designed “to create a leaner, more resilient business that adapts quickly to market changes.”
Separately, discussions are reportedly ongoing regarding the future use of the soon-to-be-idled production line in Sunderland.
According to the BBC, Chinese automaker Chery is among the companies in talks with Nissan about potential manufacturing operations at the site.
The two companies already share manufacturing links in Spain, where Chery is establishing a European assembly operation at Nissan’s former factory in Barcelona’s Zona Franca district.
BBC reports cited comments from Victor Zhang, head of Chery UK, indicating the company is evaluating plans for a UK production facility.
Chery entered the UK market in late 2024 with its Jaecoo and Omoda marques.
According to data from the SMMT, the two brands captured nearly 5% of the UK market during the first four months of 2026, surpassing Nissan’s reported 3.7% market share over the same period.
