PRODUCTION of a new model of the Nissan Juke will begin in the UK next week following a £100 million investment, the Japanese car giant has said.

European chairman Gianluca de Ficchy was visiting the Sunderland plant, where unions revealed on Wednesday that night shifts were ending.

Nissan said last week that plans to build the Qashqai on Wearside had not changed following speculation that it could change its mind if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

It said it is still waiting for clarity about what the future trading relationship between the EU and UK would look like.

The new Juke has been designed and manufactured in the UK, aimed specifically at European markets, with two-thirds of its components coming from the EU and 70% of production destined for the Continent.

Mr de Ficchy said: "The new Juke represents a further £100 million investment in our Sunderland plant and is designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK for European customers.

"Thirty-five years ago Nissan decided to create a plant in the UK to serve our European markets.

"Ten million vehicles later, Sunderland is the biggest UK car plant in history and the all-new Juke is the most connected Nissan car.

"With more than 35,000 jobs supported by Nissan in the UK, I would like to thank our experienced and skilled teams in Paddington, Cranfield and Sunderland, and our wider supply base, for their efforts in bringing this all-new model to life."