The production lines are dazzling examples of high-tech, with 250 robots helping the workforce assemble and weld car bodies.

But John Cushnaghan, managing director of Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK has no doubt where credit for the factory's success lies, saying this week: "In my opinion, our workers are the best in the world."

Winning Team

"The Sunderland workforce is a winning team. Their commitment to quality and determination to be the best in the industry has won this investment" he added.

The jobs of the 5,000 Nissan workers at Sunderland have been safeguarded by a decision this week to spend £200m building a new generation of the Primera.

Renault 's Schweitzer - to increase Nissan stake?

Louis Schweitzer, the chairman of Renault, yesterday predicted that the French group would increase its stake in Nissan Motor to more than 44% following a radical restructuring of the Japanese carmaker.

Renault, which acquired 36.8% of Nissan for ¥643bn ($6bn) earlier this year, creating the world's fourth largest carmaker,has an option to increase its shareholding to 44.4% in 2003-4.

"As I see things now we will exercise that option," said Mr Schweitzer. "If things go well at Nissan it seems probable."

The Japanese car maker has invested 1.5bn into the Sunderland plant since 1984.

UK's Biggest

This year the Wearside site overtook Rover and Ford to become the UK's biggest car maker. It is also Nissan's centre for European car manufacture.

Established 15 years ago on the 750-acre site of a former airfield, it enjoys good links by road and rail with the rest of the country and, by sea, with Northern Europe.

Its first car, a Bluebird, rolled off the line in 1986 and became a gift for the Prince of Wales. Its replacement, the Primera, arrived four years later, joined by the Micra in 1992.

During the same year, the Sunderland plant began to export North-East-built petrol engines to Nissan's sister plant in Spain and three years ago an updated Primera was introduced and diesel engine production started.

Cars made at the Sunderland plant represent 60% of Nissan's total European sales - a figure set to reach 70% when the new model comes on line.

Record Broken

Today almost 5,000 people work for Nissan at the plant, handling everything from design and development to assembly and shipment. The plant built a record number of vehicles last year, with 288,838 Micras, Primeras and Primera estates built and heading for around 50 markets worldwide.

Last year Nissan in Sunderland also reached the milestone of having produced 2,000,000 vehicles, a significant achievement for any car plant in only 12 years of production.