Sunderland workforce celebrates as new e-powered Nissan Qashqai starts rolling of the production line

From today, the new generation Qashqai will start to roll off the production line.

The new vehicle is powered by Nissan’s unique e-POWER battery and powertrain, improving fuel efficiency to an impressive 4.5L per 100km and a potential driving range of 1,200km before needing to refill with fuel.

It also boasts lower CO2 emissions, and so reduces impact on the environment.

The launch comes as the plant celebrates manufacturing 4.5m Qashqai cars since 2006 – an average of a car every two and a half minutes for 19 years.

Adam Pennick, Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK, said: “Our world-class manufacturing and engineering team have been building Qashqai with pride since 2006. That’s why we have the perfect blend of experience, skill and technical expertise to manufacture Qashqai with this fantastic new e-POWER drivetrain.

“It was an exciting moment to watch the first new e-POWER battery being fitted on the production line at the plant. We’re confident that our customers worldwide will love this new, no-compromise electrified powertrain.”

First launched in the region four years ago, e-POWER was developed to deliver an electric-drive experience without the need to plug in to a mains charger.

e-POWER delivers an EV-like driving experience thanks to its wheels being driven solely by an electric motor, with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine simply being used to generate electricity.

Seeing the first new Qashqai cars coming off the production line will be welcome news for the Sunderland plant’s 6,000 strong workforce after the car manufacturing giant confirmed last month (June) it was looking to cut its staff by 250 people as part of a voluntary leavers scheme.

Whilst Nissan is looking to shed around 19,000 workers globally, it looks to be full steam ahead for the Sunderland plant with facilities also currently being prepared for the next generation of the 100% electric Nissan LEAF, the first model to be launched as part of the company’s EV36Zero project.

This will be followed in 2026 by a 100% electric version of the Juke.

Adam Pennick added: “Building fantastic cars that our customers love is what we do best. To see these cutting-edge vehicles driving silently off our lines shows we are pushing forward with our EV36Zero vision for EV manufacturing.”

EV36Zero is Nissan’s vision for the future of sustainable manufacturing – a blueprint that will transform Sunderland Plant into a flagship EV hub, bringing together electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production.