British car factories: Nissan
Northern Soul
Nissan’s UK venture had humble beginnings assembling Bluebirds
but now ranks as the UK’s biggest car-making operation.
We chart its history. Words: Paul Wager
T
his years sees Nissan Motor
Manufacturing (UK) Ltd celebrate
the 30th anniversary of its
British plant, known as Nissan
Washington.
The project to build Nissans in the UK – or
rather, Datsuns as they were better known
back then – began in 1984 when the formal
agreement between Nissan president Takashi
Ishihara signed an agreement with the
Thatcher government to develop the former
RAF Usworth. The deal had been a hard one to
win, requiring personal intervention by Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher with the Japanese
president as well as Nissan executives but
with the ‘Gentleman’s agreement’ restricting
imports of Japanese cars the car makers were
eager to invest in Europe. Honda’s joint venture
with Rover was already well under way and no
doubt Nissan had observed it with interest,
keen to grab a piece of the action.
The choice of location wasn’t hard to
understand: the site is located near Sunderland
and the river Tyne, with the immediate area
having been hit hard by the industrial decay
in the North East. The traditional industries of
The Nissan Washington plant was built on the site of RAF Usworth, later known as Sunderland Airport.
Classic Car Mart Spring 2016 37