Lookers has formally opened a brand new Nissan dealership in Sunderland following an intensive £1.8 million transformation of its former Ford web site on Newcastle Street.

Lookers’ new Nissan franchised dealership incorporates a 12-car showroom, buyer lounge areas, EV charging factors, new workshops and a handover bay – all designed to supply prospects with a premier retail and aftersales expertise. Round 35 workers are actually employed at Lookers’ latest franchise location.

The brand new Lookers Nissan dealership in Newcastle Street has put in the brand new Nissan brand signage – the model’s first fashion change in additional than 20 years.

The 27,000 sq. ft purpose-built showroom now showcases a variety of latest Nissan fashions, together with the brand new all-electric Nissan ARIYA, that includes cutting-edge design and highly effective electrical mobility, the Juke Hybrid and the British-built Qashqai.

Welcoming Lookers’ newest funding in Sunderland and within the Nissan model, Lookers’ franchise director Robert Dier, mentioned: “Sunderland is as soon as once more the beating coronary heart of Nissan’s UK manufacturing operations and we’re completely delighted to be investing domestically in a brand new state-of-the-art Nissan dealership in an unbelievable metropolis the place everybody can expertise this excellent automotive model’s fashion, innovation and concentrate on sustainable driving in an exemplar retail atmosphere that prospects will love.”

Lookers is presently creating a brand new £3.25 million dealership at Portland Street in Newcastle which is on monitor to open in 2024. Earlier this 12 months, Lookers additionally opened the doorways on a brand new £1 million dealership in close by Gateshead following comparable transformations in Chester and Carlisle in 2022.

Lookers’ chief working officer Duncan McPhee, mentioned the brand new dealership in Sunderland builds on its strong, strengthening ties with the Nissan model.

“Dedicated to being the UK’s primary alternative for all-electric driving, Lookers is delighted to be strengthening our partnership and we stay up for welcoming prospects to our latest franchise dealership at Lookers Nissan Sunderland within the weeks and months forward.”

Grant Richards, nationwide community improvement supervisor at Nissan, mentioned: ‘‘This new showroom in Sunderland is really spectacular and showcases our automobiles in precisely the proper method. The workshop amenities are equally spectacular. We’re delighted with Lookers’ funding in our model, and we stay up for a shiny future collectively.

In June this 12 months, Nissan Sunderland’s manufacturing hub grow to be the quickest UK automotive producer to achieve 11 million automobiles, confirming its standing because the UK’s largest automotive producer by quantity with round 5 million elements arriving on the plant per day.

Final month, Nissan and its companions introduced a £2 billion plan to construct three electrical automotive fashions at its Sunderland manufacturing facility. The Japanese agency will construct electrical Qashqai and Juke fashions on the plant alongside the subsequent era of the electrical Leaf, which is already produced there. 

Pictured on the official launch are Kevin Wardrop, operations director for Lookers VNR division and Billy Taylor, common supervisor, Nissan Sunderland.