Nissan Qashqai : Success Leads to the Addition of Third Shift

With European sales in exceed of 130,000 models since the Qashqai’s debut in March 2007 and a customer order bank of 60,000 units, Nissan had no alternative but to proceed to the addition of a third shift in its Sunderland plant in the UK.

By December 2008, 800 additional manufacturing staff will be recruited. Of these, 400 will be permanent positions, with the remainder temporary contracts. Nissan hasn’t announced any specific numbers, but since the two shifts can produce approx 200,000 Qashqais per year, we’d say that the UK factory’s annual output will probably be in excess of 250,000 units.