Nissan to make electric cars in Britain

Japanese carmaker Nissan and its partners plan to invest $1.4 billion to expand production of electric vehicles and batteries in northeast England, a major victory for the U.K. government’s efforts to attract jobs and investment following the country’s departure from the European Union.

Nissan said Thursday it will build a new all-electric crossover sport utility vehicle at the company’s plant in Sunderland, creating more than 6,200 jobs at the factory and its suppliers.

As part of the project, Envision AESC will build the U.K.’S first “gigafactory” to supply next generation batteries for the cars. The announcement marks a turnaround for Nissan, which last year warned its U.K. operations would be “unsustainable” if Britain failed to secure a post-brexit free-trade agreement with the EU. The government reached a deal with Brussels in December and, freed from EU competition rules, is now able to offer financial incentives to attract investment.

“Nissan’s announcement is a major vote of confidence in the U.K. and our highly skilled workers in the Northeast,”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng suggested the government would help finance the plant, but he declined to provide specifics because talks are continuing with other electric carmakers.

“It’s no secret that across the world, governments are seeking to attract what is a once-in-ageneration opportunity to build these gigafactories,” he told the BBC. “We’ve committed some measure of support, but the billion pounds that they’re giving far outweighs and is in far excess of the amount of support that we provided.”