Nissan ponders building cars for Chinese rivals at Sunderland plant
Nissan’s chief executive has confirmed he would consider building cars for other manufacturers at the UK’s largest car factory in Sunderland, amid talks with China’s Chery.Ivan Espinosa said Nissan was “looking at options” for Sunderland and its 6,000 workers as the struggling Japanese carmaker on Wednesday reported steep losses for the year to March.Nissan announced last week it was closing one of its two production lines at Sunderland, in north-east England, because of faltering demand for its vehicles.However, it has held talks to produce vehicles on behalf of Chery, according to industry sources.Chery is pushing aggressively into the UK and Europe with its Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda brands.
Asked about the Chery talks on Sunderland, Espinosa said: “The plant is operating well, is a viable plant.The problem that we have at this location is the volume.So if we can find a smart way of bringing more volume in, we might consider doing something.”Espinosa added that there was “nothing specific about any partner to announce today, or any options, but this is something that we would likely look into considering”.Several carmakers in Europe have discussed sharing factory space with Chinese manufacturers.
Ford has reportedly held talks with Geely over the sale of part of a plant in Valencia, Spain, while Stellantis – the owner of brands including Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall – announced last week it would build cars for Leapmotor at its factories in Madrid and Zaragoza,BYD, the world’s largest maker of electric cars, is negotiating with Stellantis and other European carmakers over potentially taking over underused factories, Stella Li, the Chinese firm’s executive vice-president, told Bloomberg on Wednesday,“We are talking to not only Stellantis, we’re talking to other companies too,” Li said at a Financial Times conference in London,“We are looking for any available plant in Europe because we do want to utilise this kind of spare capacity,”Sales of Chinese-made cars in Europe have soared in recent months, with China’s manufacturers able to undercut European rivals because of lower costs.
Several European firms have concluded that it is better to take the money on offer from Chinese competitors for underused plants as they try to reduce their own manufacturing costs.Nissan’s European operations are a relatively minor part of its global business, but the Sunderland plant has nevertheless been caught up in its global struggles.Last week, it announced the merger of two lines producing the Juke, Leaf and Qashqai models and 900 job cuts across Europe, including a small number of UK office roles.On Wednesday, Nissan posted a net loss of ¥533bn (£2.5bn) for the last financial year.
Operating profits fell nearly 12% on the previous year to ¥58bn, with that figure expected to reach ¥200bn next year.Espinosa was made Nissan chief executive a year ago with a mandate to cut costs and help return the company to profitability.Espinosa said he wanted Nissan to become capable of collaboration with external partners, “because this is what the environment is asking us to do”.Nissan was battered during the last year by Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports to the US, as well as tough competition in China, in particular.Nevertheless, Espinosa said the company’s “progress has been steady, despite an uncertain operating environment”.
Did breakthrough in US fentanyl crisis start in China?
As Donald Trump travels to Beijing this week, fentanyl – and China’s role in its supply chain – remains an enduring point of acrimony in bilateral relations.At a UN meeting in March, the US again accused China of failing to stop its chemical industry selling the precursors required to make the potent synthetic opioid, while China suggested the US was shifting the blame for its domestic drug problem.Yet there are growing signs that the US fentanyl crisis has turned a corner – and some experts believe that interventions made in China have played a key role.“There was a supply shock: the purity of fentanyl fell,” said Keith Humphreys, a professor at Stanford University. “The question is why was there a supply shock
Older people risk mental decline if they do long hours of caring, UK study shows
The stresses and strains of caring for someone for 50 hours or more a week leads to “accelerated cognitive decline” in middle-aged and older people, research shows.However, providing care for only five to nine hours a week has the opposite effect, boosting brain health so much that the benefits last until older age.Carers UK called the findings “extremely worrying” and said they highlight how long hours spent providing care raises the risk of social isolation and burnout.Dr Baowen Xue, an academic at University College London and the lead author of the paper, said: “Our study shows that the caring responsibilities many people take on in later life can be a double-edged sword.“On the one hand, lighter caring responsibilities can be good for you by providing mental stimulation from interacting with loved ones or others you’re helping and a sense of purpose and usefulness
Steve Lismore obituary
My partner, Steve Lismore, who has died aged 71 in a climbing accident in Italy, was a civil servant and local politician with twin passions for giving children a good start in life and establishing equality of access to employment. Steve’s energy and commitment to action has had a lasting impact across north Derbyshire.Born in Toronto, Canada, to Violet (nee Greaves), a secretary, and Basil Lismore, a toolmaker, Steve loved reading and excelled at Bayview Heights school, Ontario, skipping a grade and winning awards at science fairs.His approach to life was formed in his teens. He combined adventure, practicality and ingenuity as he coaxed cheap motorbikes to ever improved performance
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The new Renters’ Rights Act is a step forward in ensuring that both tenants and landlords can access justice, but without proper investment it risks creating new court delays and injustices for both parties (The Guardian view on the Renters’ Rights Act: finally, protections fit for the modern housing market, 5 May).The end of “no fault” evictions in England is expected to lead to an increase in the number of contested repossession cases. If courts do not have the funding to handle the increase, delays will grow and leave many people in limbo, as we have recently seen with the closure of the Hillingdon Law Centre.This investment must include further funding for housing legal aid. While last year the UK government pledged to increase the fees paid to housing legal aid firms, those changes are yet to be fully implemented
‘Everyone was in tears’: the tenants given eviction notices just before ban in England
It was 2pm on 30 April when Carl Kansinde Middleton received a “no fault” eviction from his landlord in Brighton – just 10 hours before section 21 notices were officially banned under the Renters’ Right Act.“As we were getting closer, I really thought I was safe,” he said. “It just never occurred to me that it would just come right on the last day – I truly felt blindsided.“I lost my job in November and it’s been a struggle for me financially as I have no support system. I was just about treading water but this has swept me under
Ash scattering is a risky business | Brief letters
I had a similar experience to Zoe Williams (The day had come to scatter my mum’s ashes. What could possibly go wrong?, 5 May) when I scattered my dad’s ashes near the first tee at his golf club. After reaching into the urn and grabbing a large handful of his ashes, I threw them into the air only to have them all blown back at me by a sudden gust of wind. Friends always said I looked very much like him and I felt a tremendous sense of pride as parts of him went into every orifice.Bob DawsonGreenmount, Greater Manchester Glad to read about the campaign to save the mother of Bramley apples tree (Report, 5 May)
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