Nissan to Build All-New Compact Hatchback in U.K.

Nissan’s Sunderland plant will build an all-new hatchback compact car to be launched in 2013 with the help of £9.3 million ($14.7 million) grant from the U.K. government.

The concept car called Invitation, unveiled at the Geneva auto show today, will be built alongside the popular Juke cross/utility vehicle and will compete within the core mainstream B-segment.

The plant also builds the Nissan Qashqai, Qashqai +2 and Note. Production of the Leaf electric car begins in 2013.

In addition to vehicle assembly, Sunderland will carry out axle production, cylinder-head casting, camshaft machining and engine assembly, representing an overall investment of £125 million ($197.2 million) by Nissan in the U.K.

The government money comes from the U.K. Regional Growth Fund.

Nissan says it expects an initial annual volume of about 100,000 units for the Invitation, depending on market demand.

Production of the new model will create about 2,000 jobs at Nissan and among the auto maker’s U.K. supplier base. This includes 400 new Nissan hires at Sunderland, raising the plant’s overall workforce to about 6,000 – its highest ever.

“I’m delighted that Sunderland has secured what will be another very important model for Nissan in Europe,” Trevor Mann, senior vice president-manufacturing, says in a statement. “The additional volume will maintain Sunderland as the country’s largest car plant, and we expect and look forward to a very busy future.”

Recruitment for engineering and maintenance positions at the Sunderland plant to support the new model’s introduction already is under way.