Japanese car maker Nissan has announced plan to invest £100m into its Sunderland plant to manufacture the company’s next generation Juke crossover car.
The plant began operations in 1986 and since then 8 million vehicles including Nissan's Qashqai, Note, electrically powered Leaf model have rolled out the facility.
It has now an annual production capacity of 500,000 vehicles.
The investment will also give a boost to the region's economy as it will create 6,700 jobs at the plant and support a further 27,000 positions in the supply chain.
The car to be manufactured, Nissan Juke is a crossover and it is priced at £14,000 in Britain.
Nissan's UK design and engineering teams in Paddington, London, and Cranfield, Bedfordshire, are likely to play an important part in the development of this new model.
Nissan Europe Chairman Paul Willcox said: "With the next generation Juke now confirmed for future production, customers can be assured that Nissan is going to remain the benchmark in the crossover segment for many years to come.
"This announcement also gives security to our Sunderland plant beyond 2020, which the team has earned through many years of hard work and their ability to continually raise the bar on quality."
The company presently employs 8,000 people in its UK design, engineering and manufacturing operations, supporting an additional 27,000 jobs in the country.
UK Chancellor George Osborne said: "It's fantastic news that Nissan will be building their new car here in Sunderland and securing valuable jobs for thousands working people in the area.
"Our ambitious plans to build the Northern Powerhouse means building on the area's strengths - including manufacturing - and this announcement is an important sign of Britain being chosen as a global leader in car production."
