CAR maker Nissan yesterday announced record operating profits, passing the three million sales mark for the first time in 13 years.

Nissan is one of the region's largest employers, with 4,500 staff at its Sunderland plant. It has announced profits of £4.3bn for the year ending March 31.

The operating profit margin was 11.1 per cent, establishing Nissan as one of the most profitable car makers in the world.

President and chief executive Carlos Ghosn, the Brazilian who was called in to bring the company back from the brink of bankruptcy in 1999 when it was mired in £18bn of debt, unveiled a new three-year business plan that will further strengthen Nissan's position.

The growth strategy may include the Sunderland plant, though no final decision has been made yet. Nissan 180, the business plan which took the company from near-bankruptcy to success, will be replaced by Nissan Value-up next year.

Mr Ghosn said: "Nissan 180 propelled us to the top performance rank of the world's automakers. Nissan Value-up will broaden and strengthen that position."

Nissan sold 3,057,000 vehicles worldwide in the past financial year - an increase of 10.4 per cent.

"During the past year, Nissan boldly and thoughtfully leveraged its global reach," said Mr Ghosn.

"We advanced our operations in China through our joint venture with Dong Feng and entered high-volume, full-size segments in the United States for the first time."

Value-up commits the company to sustained growth and high profitability, and aims to reach global sales of 4.2 million by the end of 2007.

As part of the plan, a luxury brand, Infiniti, will be launched in markets around the world. In total, 28 Nissan and Infiniti models will be launched.

Last night, Colin Dodge, managing director of Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, said: "Obviously, we are part of a profitable, growing car company, which is good news for anyone involved in the North-East.

"We are very pleased we have contributed to the growth in Europe. Our growth last year was 14 per cent, we sold 175,000 Micras in Europe, and brought in a lot of new customers.

"Our contribution to the company's growth is primarily through the Micra.

"I would hope that we are part of the growth plan announced by Mr Ghosn. If we are going to sell an additional 70,000 cars in Europe, we could be involved in it.

"As we make more than half the Micras sold in Europe and assuming that continues, we could be involved in the growth.

"At this moment, there are no plans to build Infiniti in Sunderland. In the future it could happen. If we sell the car in large numbers in the UK and Europe, then we could be called upon to manufacture it."