{"text":[[{"start":11.83,"text":"Nissan has held talks with China’s Chery about building cars at the Japanese group’s Sunderland plant, in the latest effort by legacy carmakers to partner with rivals to safeguard the future of European and UK factories."}],[{"start":27.58,"text":"According to four people with knowledge of the talks, Nissan has recently discussed a partnership with Chery to boost the utilisation rate of its Sunderland factory, which is operating at about 50 per cent. The site has separate production lines in different buildings, making it easier to share with other carmakers."}],[{"start":47.379999999999995,"text":"The Japanese group, however, has held talks with numerous other companies about using Sunderland and discussions with the Chinese state-owned carmaker may not materialise in a deal, two of the people cautioned. "}],[{"start":60.779999999999994,"text":"Other carmakers including Ford, Stellantis and Volkswagen have also had discussions over the past year with Chinese groups such as Geely and BYD regarding the use of idle capacity at European plants, as they wrestle with sluggish demand and high production costs."}],[{"start":79.07,"text":"Nissan declined comment. Chery did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "}],[{"start":85.80999999999999,"text":"Nissan is one of the largest automotive employers in the UK with about 6,000 workers in Sunderland. The utilisation rate at the plant has improved from below 30 per cent with the recent launch of the company’s new Leaf electric vehicle. The new electric Juke, which will also be produced in Sunderland, is also expected to go on sale in 2027. "}],[{"start":109.88999999999999,"text":"But the plant’s future had been called into question by a massive restructuring programme at Nissan involving some factory shutdowns and 20,000 job cuts worldwide. The company has also warned the plant could close if Brussels went ahead with “Made in Europe” manufacturing targets that excluded Britain, while Europe was not included among its top five key markets in its long-term strategy unveiled on Tuesday."}],[{"start":137.36999999999998,"text":"Earlier this year, Chery agreed to buy Nissan’s car manufacturing plant in South Africa. The Chinese company also owns a plant in Barcelona that was bought from the Japanese group. "}],[{"start":151.05999999999997,"text":"Chery, which owns the Omoda and Jaecoo brands as well as its eponymous marque, is the fastest-growing Chinese group in the UK with a 6 per cent market share in March, compared with just 1 per cent a year earlier, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. "}],[{"start":171.03999999999996,"text":"UK government officials have been actively courting Chery and other Chinese carmakers to make vehicles in the country for the last few years. But some companies have been hesitant about building new facilities due to high energy and labour costs. "}],[{"start":188.01999999999995,"text":"Chery has also been exploring other options — including the use of Jaguar Land Rover’s plant in Halewood — to boost local production as it aggressively expands international sales of its hybrids and EVs. "}],[{"start":201.41999999999996,"text":"Nissan has not ruled out its Chinese partner Dongfeng using its plant in Sunderland but two people close to the Japanese group said this outcome was unlikely. "}],[{"start":212.09999999999997,"text":"Stellantis is also in discussions with Dongfeng — its former joint venture partner in China, which retains a stake in the European carmaker — about expanding their collaboration in European production, according to one person close to the company. "}],[{"start":228.08999999999997,"text":"Stellantis declined to comment on talks with Dongfeng, which were first reported by Bloomberg. It added the group held “discussions with a range of industry players around the world on various topics”. Dongfeng did not immediately respond to a request for comment."}],[{"start":245.53999999999996,"text":"European car plants are under threat, with manufacturers battling to protect jobs even at the expense of partnering with the Chinese rivals that are grabbing market share with affordable and advanced vehicles. "}],[{"start":259.37999999999994,"text":"Ford has held discussions with Geely about using the spare production capacity of the US carmaker’s plants in Europe, as well as on a technology partnership that could see both companies building vehicles on the same platform."}],[{"start":281.6699999999999,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1776335060_7348.mp3"}