Businesses begin moving out of UK over Brexit
UK, (DAILY MAIL), 3 FEBRUARY 2019 - Car giant Nissan has confirmed in a letter to workers that the next-generation X-trail, planned for its Sunderland plant, will instead be made in Japan - with the company’s chairman saying Brexit helped influence the decision.
The move is another huge blow to the UK’S car industry which has been warning for years about the impact of Brexit uncertainty on top of other problems such as a slump in diesel sales.
Nissan chairman Gianluca de Ficchy said in the letter that much had changed since the Japanese firm announced plans to build a new Qashqai and X-trail in the UK in October 2016.
The decision follows figures last week showing car production slumped by almost a 10th last year, leaving the industry on ‘red alert’ amid continued Brexit uncertainty.
Ford is seeking up to 400 voluntary redundancies at its engine plant in Bridgend, south Wales, while Jaguar Land Rover is to reduce its 44,000 workforce by 4,500 under plans to make £2.5 billion of cost savings - with most of the cuts in the UK.
Japanese firm Honda has announced six non-production days in April under contingency plans to mitigate the risk of disruption to production at its Swindon factory after the UK leaves the EU.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Mike Hawes said the fall in investment was ‘deeply depressing’ and should send a strong signal to politicians to secure a Brexit trade deal.