Nissan announced it will trim roughly 10% of its European workforce in a bid to align costs with declining sales across the continent. Talks began Tuesday with staff in France, Spain and the United Kingdom about eliminating 900 office jobs from a regional headcount of 9,300. The move signals a cost‑cutting push.

At the Sunderland plant, the company will merge its two production lines, cutting capacity use to around 50% while seeking third‑party partners to fill idle space. Discussions with China’s Chery and other potential collaborators aim to turn surplus capacity into revenue streams. Nissan declined to comment on the talks but stressed the need to “maximise plant utilisation” to ensure the facility remains viable.

The Sunderland site has been under scrutiny since Nissan unveiled a worldwide programme that includes plant closures and 20,000 job cuts globally. By consolidating operations and shedding staff, Nissan hopes to protect its long‑term presence in Europe and improve profitability, and may affect future UK policy support. The restructuring will leave the UK plant’s future dependent on securing external manufacturing partners.