After being just an observer in the premium compact segment, Infiniti becomes a player. A player that sends his new Q30 to fight against very popular models like the Audi A3 Sportback, the BMW 1 Series and the very famous Mercedes A-Class.
Unveiled for the first time in Frankfurt Motor Show this fall, the new Infiniti Q30 enters production in Sunderland UK. Infiniti’s first compact model, the Q30, is also the brand’s first vehicle to be manufactured in Europe. As part of its global growth plan, Infiniti vehicles are now built in five plants in four countries on three continents.
The first new Infiniti Q30 vehicles are now in production at the brand’s newly built facilities in Sunderland, UK, following a more than $375 million (£250m) investment that has created 300 new jobs.
The decision to build the Q30 in the UK was made in 2012 in recognition of standards reached by the workforce in Sunderland over many years.
New production facilities covering 25,000m2 at the Sunderland plant include a 100-percent automated body shop, where 134 new robots with laser-welding precision have been installed to build a highly rigid bodyshell, which makes the Q30 a very quiet car.
The second plant extension of 14,500m2 has been built for final assembly. The manufacturing process has been tailored to ensure every Q30 is made for the individual at the Trim & Chassis shop where the Infiniti operators perform 1,191 different tasks to complete each model.
"To prepare for Q30 production, we invested 250 million pounds here in the UK. This is creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the UK automotive industry. Q30 production is further strengthening our premium vehicle manufacturing capability in Sunderland, and exports to global markets such as China and North America signal the next phase in the expansion of Infiniti and a new chapter for our UK plant", said Trevor Mann, Chief Performance Officer of Nissan Motor Corporation
