SUNDERLAND — Nissan halted development of a fully electric version of the Qashqai at its Sunderland plant last year. The automaker is engaged in discussions with the UK government to secure financial support for the future of its facility in north-east England.

The company closed one of its two production lines at the Sunderland factory last month. This occurred due to faltering demand for its vehicles. In April, Nissan stated it was "looking at options" for the Sunderland factory, which employs 6,000 workers.

Nissan reported steep losses for the financial year ending in March. The company is implementing a cost-cutting program that has included the closure of seven factories and 20,000 job losses. Nissan also signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with China’s Chery to explore contract manufacturing vehicles.

In 2023, Nissan committed to building a full electric vehicle (EV) version of the Qashqai. The Sunderland plant currently manufactures the fully electric Leaf. Nissan announced in April that it would build an all-electric Juke at the Sunderland plant.

Nissan stated the European market has experienced "significant volatility" in EV demand. The company also stated it was pursuing a "balanced" electrification strategy. The Qashqai model is available in petrol and hybrid versions. It accounted for approximately 45% of Nissan's total sales of 330,000 cars in Europe in 2025.

The Sunderland factory, the UK’s largest car factory, produced 507,000 cars in 2016. Last year, the same factory produced 273,000 cars.