LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese car maker Nissan Motor Co will announce on Friday that it will build the electric versions of its Qashqai and Juke models at its plant in Sunderland, northern England, Sky News reported on Wednesday.
Citing automotive industry sources, Sky reported that Nissan would commit hundreds of millions of pounds to the project. While no upfront taxpayer money will be involved, the British government is expected to provide guarantees, the report added.
Nissan will build two new electric models at the plant as part of an investment expected to be worth more than 1 billion pounds ($1.25 billion), the Financial Times separately reported, citing people briefed on the plans.
A spokesperson for Nissan in Japan declined to comment on the reports. Japan’s third-biggest automaker said in September that one of two new EV models it had already confirmed for Europe would be manufactured at the Sunderland plant.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was likely to visit the site on Friday for the announcement, which would be made by Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, the FT said.
($1 = 0.8025 pounds)
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, Nick Carey and Daniel Leussink; Editing by Leslie Adler)
