Fate of Spain’s Big Nissan Car Plant in Barcelona Is Still Uncertain Says Madrid Government

THE fate of Spain’s big Nissan car plant in Barcelona is still uncertain according to the Madrid government.

Unconfirmed newspaper reports earlier this month suggested that the car maker planned to close its Barcelona plant, which employs around 3,000 people, and shift production to other centres like Sunderland in the UK.

Spain’s Industry Secretary, Raul Blanco said today (May 25): “There is no official confirmation of closure from the company. We have no news about it.”

Earlier this month the Nikkei newspaper in Nissan’s home country of Japan suggested that the manufacturer was going to cut its capacity around the world by around 20 per cent, and that would include shutting down its Barcelona operation.

The plant partially reopened on May 4 after the State of Alarm measures in Spain forced a total shutdown in mid-March.

A strike though brought production to a total halt just two days later from May 6.

Unions have made known a series of concerns about the future of the Barcelona factory, which makes electric vans and trucks.

Nissan is expected to make a ‘strategic’ announcement later this week.