NISSAN is backing Britain with a £200 million investment to build its next-generation Primera range at Sunderland. Only days after the Renault-controlled company announced shock factory closures and 21,000 job losses in Japan, as part of a 1 trillion Yen cost-cutting initiative, it revealed the capital injection plan to confirm its north east England plant will be the major source of European supply for the new fleet car.

Thought to be ready for sale in 2003, the model will be based on the MS platform which will be used for the first time in Europe when it underpins the new Almera range. The Government has agreed to contribute £5 million in regional aid to assist with the cost of re-tooling for the new model.

'Another plant in Japan will also produce a version of the Primera, but this will be for the domestic market only and output is unlikely to reach anywhere near the 140,000 annual volume we expect from the Tyne and Wear factory,' said a spokesman.