Nissan reported to be cutting almost 20,000 jobs but impact on Sunderland remains unclear

The reports of the cuts were announced today (May 12) by Japanese broadcaster NHK.

In November (2024) the car manufacturing giant announced restructuring plans which would see the loss of 9,000 jobs, and today’s reports that an additional 10,000 jobs could go is sure to be of concern to the company’s workforce in Sunderland and the wider region.

The biggest employer in the city, Nissan currently employs around 6,000 people at its Sunderland manufacturing plant.

The additional cuts are reported to be due to continued week sales, partly due to brutal competition in China, previously a key market, as the country’s domestic manufacturers produce low-cost, high-tech electric vehicles (EVs).

China’s electric vehicle industry is also seeking to move into other countries around the world, aiming to take a chunk out of markets where Japanese firms had once held dominance.

Last month, Alan Johnson, senior vice president for manufacturing for Nissan’s Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania operation, cautioned that the UK was “not a competitive place” to build cars as he called for Government support.

The company is seeking to reduce its production capacity by 20% after a pair of recent profit downgrades.

Nissan is now also set to face a significant impact from President Donald Trump’s plans to hike tariffs on cars imported to the US to 25%.

The vast majority of cars made in the UK will be subject to a 10% tariff after the UK-US trade deal agreed last week.

Nissan Sunderland were contacted and said they have nothing to add to the reports.