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.
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.