Sunderland is a world leader in the global automotive industry.
Home to Nissan – the UK’s largest car production plant and one of the world’s most successful passenger vehicle manufacturers, the city has been at the forefront of advanced automotive manufacturing now for almost four decades and with the same dynamism, is now leading the charge in electric vehicles for the mass market.
More than 30% of UK-manufactured cars are built in Sunderland* and this has been the catalyst for billions of pounds of additional inward investment that underpins a strong, robust and dynamic supply chain boasting global players in manufacturing, innovation and tech.
This includes Adient, Faltec, Forvia Faurecia, Highly Marelli, Kasai, Lear, Magna, Marelli, Minth, SNOP, Unipres, and Vantec alongside AESC, which is currently constructing its second gigafactory in Washington with hundreds of new job opportunities. The announcement by Nissan in November 2023 that three Electric Vehicle models are now set to be produced in Sunderland will see a total of £3 billion investment from Nissan and across the supply chain and support thousands of local jobs.
As a strategic delivery partner for the automotive sector, Sunderland City Council is at the very heart of this ever-growing ambition, carving a way forward with government, investors and industry representatives, to attract first-class organisations to the city, the North East of England and the UK and support them to thrive and grow alongside existing supply chain businesses.
Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, said, “The NEAA Expo is key to showcasing just how far Sunderland has come over the last four decades and, more importantly, the heights the city and the UK automotive sector can reach on a world stage. This is a city with huge ambition and the NEAA is very much a partner that supports our strategy and vision for the sector going forward.
“Sunderland City Council has delivered a range of fit-for-purpose developments and sector-focused facilities such as the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) and Hilthorn Business Park. This is vital to encourage associated cluster industries to emerge within the supply chain and the new North East Investment Zone will play an important role in enabling this. We will continue to make Sunderland a highly attractive location for automotive companies, whether it be start-ups, those considering relocation or major global expansion, and NEAA Expo is the perfect platform to deliver this message.”
