A RECORD-BREAKING North-East car plant has made more than 500,000 vehicles for a third consecutive year.

Nissan says its Sunderland factory produced 500,237 cars in 2014, helped by strong demand for its ever-popular Qashqai and all-electric Leaf hatchback.

The figure comes despite a temporary shutdown last year over problems with maintenance work and its press shop, which makes body parts.

The halt was believed to be the biggest unplanned stop in the 31-year history of the plant, which employs about 7,000 workers.

However, bosses highlighted the unwavering success of its flagship Qashqai model as key to overcoming that delay, with the company having now made more than two million in the region.

Nissan began making an updated version of the Qashqai early last year.

The company also revealed production of its Leaf, hailed by Prime Minister David Cameron in a previous factory visit, doubled to more than 17,000 in 2014, with its adjoining battery plant benefiting from an agreement to send power packs for its all-electric e-NV200 van, which is built in Barcelona.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, UK vice-president for manufacturing, said: “Successfully launching the new Qashqai last January was key to the matching our record-breaking volumes of the previous two years.

“Increasing demand for the Leaf also has played a significant part.”

Nissan’s regional base will this year start making the sporty Infiniti model, which will become the first Sunderland-built car exported to the US.

A team from the North-East has already travelled to Japan to refine prototypes of the luxurious Infiniti Q30 hatchback, with production trials due to start next month ahead of car making in August.

The plant is being extended and 280 staff recruited to make it capable of producing up to 60,000 Infiniti vehicles a year.

Mr Fitzpatrick added: “We are now looking ahead to another exciting year and the historic launch of Infiniti.

“Our reputation for productivity and quality is driven by our workforce and I would like to thank and congratulate them all on another productive year.”

In 2014, the company also started work on its Juke Nismo RS model in Sunderland, which is now on sale, and began making a new version of its standard Juke.