Nissan to build Leaf electric car in UK

Founded in 1984, the Sunderland factory in northeast Britain employs around 4,000 people and built its 5 millionth vehicle in June 2008.

The Leaf will be manufactured on the same line as the new Juke compact crossover, which enters production in August.

The Sunderland plant is due to supply lithium-ion batteries, developed jointly by Nissan and Japan's NEC Corp, also for Renault's electric cars. Nissan is also due to produce batteries in Portugal to supply the European market.

(Additional reporting by Helen Massy-Beresford in PARIS; Editing by Hugh Lawson)