Nissan has warned the UK government that it would be forced to shut down its plant in Sunderland if Britain was not fully included in the “Made in Europe” manufacturing targets, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions.
Despite heavy lobbying efforts by the UK government, the EU proposals presented on Wednesday require vehicles for corporate fleets and small electric vehicles to be assembled within the bloc, excluding Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota, which make vehicles in the UK for the European markets.
Industry executives have warned that the proposed rules would be a huge blow to vehicles and car parts made in the UK since their largest export market is the EU.