Nissan boosts number of cars produced at Sunderland but UK company makes a loss

Production volumes and turnover have jumped at Nissan's Sunderland factory, but a reorganisation of the business has seen it take on more costs.

New accounts for Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited show 325,000 cars rolled off the production line at the Wearside plant in 2024, compared with 260,000 the year before.

Clearing disruption from worldwide semiconductor chip shortages over recent years was said to have helped the factory ramp up numbers with the Qashqai remaining the brand's biggest seller and one of the UK's top 10 models, of which 199,000 left for UK and European showrooms.

Turnover was boosted from £5.03bn to £7.35bn in the year to the end of March 2024, as cost of sales crept up from £4.67bn to £6.92bn. But the plant swung to a loss during the year - recording an operating loss of £41.2m, from an operating profit of £49.4m a year earlier.

Bosses said the losses had partly been caused by provisions for supplier claims amounting to £214m - including costs associated with onsite supplier activity and where there had been unforeseen changes to production schedules, along with price inflation.