Jatco, a Japanese powertrains manufacturer, has opened a new factory in the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), Sunderland, to supply the nearby Nissan plant.

Initially, this will be the 3-in-1, which modularises and integrates the motor, inverter and reducer, making them smaller and lighter. It hopes to reach a production capacity of 340,000 units from its Sunderland plant.

Localisation to Nissan models will begin from 2026, when the facility is scheduled for completion. The new facility was supported by a grant from the Government.

Jatco's CEO, Tomoyoshi Sato, said: "We have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Nissan and we are delighted to bring the manufacture of our 3-in-1 powertrain to the UK. This will be our fourth country for an overseas production plant, with other locations in Mexico, China, and Thailand.”

The new facility will support Nissan's EV36Zero project that will underpin three new all electric vehicles, powered by renewables. The transformational project includes future all-electric versions of Nissan's Qashqai and Juke crossovers, and the replacement Nissan Leaf. The project brings together the plant, the AESC gigafactory and the renewable electric microgrid.

Jatco joins a cluster of automotive and advanced manufacturing businesses located at IAMP, part of the North East Investment Zone, which was announced by the North East Combined Authority in November 2023, which seeks to drive growth in advanced manufacturing and green industries.

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