Kevin Clark wrote:Last Micra rolls off Nissan's line
The car that transformed Sunderland's Nissan plant and safeguarded thousands of jobs for almost two decades is no more.
The last Micra rolled off the production line last night – signalling an end to nearly 18 years of production on Wearside.

"Micra has been hugely important," said Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan's UK vice-president for manufacturing. "We have built 2.3m
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illion cars and it transformed the plant from a medium-size facility with one production line, to a large plant with two lines."

Micra's days on Wearside have been numbered since the announcement in June 2008 that Sunderland was to start building a new small crossover car, the Juke, with Micra production moving abroad.

Plants in India and Thailand have already started building the car, with factories in China and Mexico due to follow shortly.

"I do have mixed emotions today," said Kevin. "It is sad to see the end of Micra – we have been building it for 18 years – but successful companies have to change and adapt and the launch of the Juke means we are doing that. We have improved our competitiveness and have won the car in the face of very stiff competition."

Keith Watson and Andy Drake have worked on Micra throughout its life on Wearside. Keith was already at the plant while Andy was one of the workers taken on to build the new car.

"Eighteen years is a long time but it has been an exciting 18 years," said Andy. "It does not seem like five minutes since shift one – the time has gone very quickly.

"The car has changed a lot through that period and Keith and I have been involved in its development.

"Now we are going to start building the Juke – it is a bigger car and more complex, but we have got the skills, we have got the capabilities within the plant.

"It is the end of an era for us today but Micra will continue – the new model will released shortly in the UK.

"We have the Juke to come and then the Leaf electric car – we are going to be really busy during the next two or three years."