Nissan has confirmed that all three models made at its Sunderland plant in the North East of the UK will go 100% electric over the next four years.

Today's announcement means the EV36Zero hub in Sunderland will consist of three electric vehicles, three gigafactories to make batteries and up to £3bn investment. This will help secure 7,000 UK employees and the 30,000 jobs supported in the UK supply chain.

The cars to be built include future all-electric versions of Nissan's big-selling Qashqai and JUKE along with the next-generation LEAF.

The three future models will be inspired by concept cars, two of which were recently unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show. These are the Hyper Urban, Hyper Punk and the Chill-Out. The first is due to be seen in 2025.

Nissan has also committed to powering the vehicle and battery manufacturing by a 100% renewable microgrid, which will incorporate the wind and solar farms at the site.

Current LEAF will be replaced with a crossover-style car

Today's announcement follows Nissan's confirmation that all its new cars in Europe from now will be fully electric, and that it expects its passenger car line-up in Europe to be 100% electric by 2030.

Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida has said: "From this point onwards, everything single Nissan model launched in Europe will be fully electric. In 2030, Nissan will be here and ready for EV." He said: "There's no going back – the world needs to move on from ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines."

Founder and CEO of Electrifying.com Ginny Buckley said: “This announcement means the replacements for the Leaf and Juke in addition to an all-new electric version of the Qashqai will be built in Sunderland. These are some of the best-selling cars in Britain and proof that the industry sees the future is electric. Nissan has promised that these new-generation vehicles will we cheaper to buy and more practical, with longer ranges and faster charging times.

“The news will help secure UK jobs in the North East and enable the manufacturing and logistics to become more sustainable by ensuring cars and batteries are made nearer to the markets where they’re being sold.”

The new LEAF was previewed by the Chill Out concept car in 2021