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TOKYO (AFP) –
Nissan Motor will start building its Leaf electric car at its British plant from early 2013, the Japanese car maker said Thursday, saving more than 2,000 jobs.
The factory in Sunderland, which will also manufacture the vehicle's lithium-ion batteries, will be the third earmarked to produce the zero-emission cars after plants in Oppama, Japan and the US state of Tennessee.
The investment of more than 420 million pounds (468 million euros, 642 million dollars) will help maintain about 2,250 jobs at Nissan and across its British supply chain, the company said in a statement.
Initial output will be about 50,000 vehicles a year from early 2013. The Leaf is due to go on sale worldwide this year with production beginning in Japan, while the US factory will start in 2012.
"The three production sites will support the sales launch of the model, which begins in late 2010 in Japan, the United States and selected European markets, ahead of global mass marketing from 2012," the company said.
Nissan said construction of its battery plant at Sunderland will begin next month. With a capacity of 60,000 units a year, it will start making batteries in 2012 for both Nissan and its alliance partner Renault.
The investment will be supported by a 20.7 million pound grant from the British government and a proposed finance package from the European Investment Bank of up to 220 million euros, it said.
Andy Palmer, senior vice president at Nissan Motor, said: "The world is at the dawn of a new era in automotive transport."
"Nissan Leaf, which will go on sale later this year, is a five-seater hatchback that offers the same space, practicality and performance of a similar car in its class -- minus the tailpipe emissions."
Zero-emission cars are gaining traction as concern has grown over the pollution caused by conventional petrol cars.
Mitsubishi Motors last year rolled out the i-MiEV, and Fuji Heavy the Subaru Plug-in Stella, both in Japan.
Toyota, which has focused on hybrids, has promised to launch its own version by 2012 and started leasing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle since late last year, one year earlier than initially planned.
Shares in Nissan rose 0.77 percent to 780 yen by noon in Tokyo trade.
