THE world’s first mass produced zero emission car is to be built in Britain. Nissan has announced that the LEAF, first in a range of electric vehicles from the Japanese company and its partner Renault, will be manufactured in Sunderland. And construction of Nissan’s advanced lithium-ion battery plant, announced last year, will begin next month. The facility, also in the North East, will have a production capacity of 60,000 units a year and will start producing batteries in 2012 for both Nissan and its French partner. Jointly the LEAF and battery production represents an investment of more than £420 million and is expected to maintain about 2,250 jobs at Nissan and across the UK supply chain. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: “This investment is a fantastic vote of confidence in the Sunderland plant and its excellent workforce. “The automotive sector is of key importance to the UK. It supports R&D, technological innovation, skills and a supply chain that’s a mainstay of the wider manufacturing sector. “The news from Nissan, with support from government, shows that by working together we can achieve our aim of making the UK a world-leader in ultra-low carbon vehicles.” Andy Palmer, a senior Nissan vice president and responsible for the company's global electric vehicle strategy, said: “The world is at the dawn of a new era in automotive transport. “Nissan LEAF, which will go on sale later this year, is a five-seater hatchback that offers the same space, practicality and performance of a similar car in its class – minus the tailpipe emissions." “Thanks to the UK’s firm commitment to a low carbon future in terms of infrastructure, customer incentives and educational programmes, Nissan LEAF will be built at Sunderland, making the UK the third country in the world to produce this revolutionary car.” Production of Nissan LEAF will begin in Oppama, Japan later this year followed by Smyrna, Tennessee, USA in 2012. Sunderland will come on-line in early 2013 with an initial annual production capacity of about 50,000 units. Nissan and Renault are the only car makers committed to mass marketing pure electric vehicles on a global scale and together have announced production capacity of 500,000 units a year. Work to integrate Nissan LEAF into Sunderland’s manufacturing process will begin in 2012. The car will be launched alongside the recently unveiled Juke compact crossover car, which enters production in August. Although zero-emission vehicles are the centerpiece of Nissan’s product strategy, the company is also investing in a portfolio of low-emission technologies - called PureDrive - such as clean diesels, efficient internal-combustion engines and hybrids. | 
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