{"text":[[{"start":10.1,"text":"Nissan will invest £170mn to build a new hybrid SUV at its plant in Sunderland in its latest effort to secure the long-term future of the UK’s largest car plant."}],[{"start":21.06,"text":"The addition of a fourth model — the Kicks — comes as the Japanese carmaker plans to share production with China’s Chery to boost the factory’s utilisation rate, which is hovering at about 50 per cent."}],[{"start":33,"text":"“The decision to build this new model in Sunderland is a huge vote of confidence in the UK’s manufacturing and automotive future,” UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said."}],[{"start":43.52,"text":"The new investment by Nissan will be a boost for the UK’s automotive industry, which has come under pressure from higher US tariffs, energy costs and competition with Chinese rivals."}],[{"start":54.08,"text":"British supercar manufacturer McLaren also plans to create 1,000 jobs in the UK as part of a £450mn investment in its technology centre in Woking and other engineering operations."}],[{"start":66.92,"text":"Nissan is one of the largest automotive employers in the UK with about 6,000 workers in Sunderland, where the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf models are produced. The launch of Kicks is expected to add up to 50,000 vehicles in production for Sunderland, according to one person close to the company."}],[{"start":84.04,"text":"The Japanese group signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Chery for a manufacturing partnership but they have yet to sign a formal agreement. People close to the talks said the deal is still going ahead, with the Omoda and Jaecoo owner expected to build three models at Sunderland."}],[{"start":100.52,"text":"Nissan has struggled in Europe in the wake of cut-throat competition with Chinese rivals. Nissan’s market share in the region and the UK fell to 2.1 per cent during the first half, lower than BYD’s 2.4 per cent, as sales fell 10 per cent from a year earlier, according to European car industry body ACEA."}],[{"start":118.4,"text":"The new Kicks is powered by Nissan’s “e-Power” hybrid system. While standard hybrids switch between an engine and a battery-powered electric motor to power a vehicle’s wheels, the e-Power engine powers a generator that in turn tops up the battery and is more energy efficient, according to the carmaker."}],[{"start":133.2,"text":"Next week, Nissan will also unveil a small electric car for Europe called Pixo as it seeks to revive weak sales."}],[{"start":146.36,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1789527568_3783.mp3"}