Our newsletter for April 2018 focused on the taxpayer-funded Persimmon executive payout, the massive $8.5bn incentives package the state of Maryland has offered Amazon for HQ2 in the US, job cuts in the UK auto […]
Nissan, a company that has received nearly £800m in corporate welfare since the mid-1980s, has announced that it will cut ‘hundreds’ of jobs at its Sunderland plant due to declining demand for diesel vehicles. Nissan […]
The new Nissan Leaf started rolling off the Sunderland production line in late-December 2017. The Sunderland Echo reported that Nissan’s flagship electric vehicle will be available in European markets in February. Nissan’s continued investment in […]
Driverless cars, also known as or autonomous vehicles, stood out on Tuesday as a key point of focus in the Autumn Budget. One of only a few specific technologies mentioned in the budget — along […]
Didier Leroy, executive vice-president of Toyota, called on the UK government in late October to provide insight into Brexit negotiations and secure a trade deal for the UK automotive industry. He voiced his concerns amid […]
Nissan first invested in the UK in the early 1980s following protracted negotiations over the deal it could extract from the British government. Declassified memos from the Thatcher administration paint a picture of a company of […]
The Guardian reports that the UK has plans to invest £246m in battery technology as part of its new industrial strategy. It is expected that most of the funding will go to the automotive and […]
Costas Pitas for Reuters reports that Toyota received reassurances from the government, similar to those received by Nissan, prior to announcing its latest £240 million investment in its Burnaston plant. An anonymous source reported that Toyota […]
The government announced on 8 July 2017 that it has made available £20 million in funding for companies that wish to develop vehicle-to-grid energy projects, as part of its new Industrial Strategy. The scheme is […]
The Financial Times reports that investment in the UK car industry has plummeted since the June 2016 referendum, having fallen to £322m during the first half of 2017, according to industry data compiled by SMMT. Investment during 2016 within […]
The Welsh government has revealed, following more than a year of stalling on a FOI request, that it offered Aston Martin £5.8 million in Repayable Business Financing to open a plant in St Athans, where the […]
In February 2017, Colin Lawther, senior vice president for manufacturing and purchasing for Nissan UK, gave evidence to the House of Commons International Trade Committee, explaining that the UK leaving the EU without an adequate trade […]
Daniel Boffey for The Guardian reports that carmakers operating in the UK have significantly decreased investment over the last year due to concerns fueled by the uncertainty of what post-Brexit trade looks like for the British […]
Business Secretary Greg Clark and Transport Minister John Hayes announced on April 11, 2017, a total of £109.7 million in funding to automakers and companies that produce parts for them to support the creation of […]
The head of European manufacturing at Nissan has given evidence to the International Trade committee this week. It provides a glimpse into the way in which Brexit will divert energy and resources to the largest […]
This is an interesting piece by Tom Bergin of Reuters – assessing the cost of ‘Brexit compensation’ in the wake of the government’s promises to Nissan. Bergin writes: Compensating carmakers in Britain for any post-Brexit […]
Sky News’ account of Nissan’s Brexit deal Sky’s Ian King examines the potential avenues the Government had to reassure Nissan ahead of its important Sunderland investment. Source: Nissan investment raises more questions than answers
Nissan had been pressing for compensation from the government in the event of a hard Brexit but Downing Street and Nissan have dismissed any suggestion of Government financial support to secure new investment in Sunderland. […]
Nissan, the recipient of generous state subsidies in the past (see our company report), has argued that it would have to be compensated for any additional costs it experiences from the imposition of tariffs following Brexit. This […]
Ford has announced plans to scale back production at its Bridgend plant, despite receiving millions in state support and trimming back its own investment. Ken Stakes, Welsh Assembly member said that he wanted assurances that […]
In addition to changes to the road network, the government have announced two major lines of investment to support the development of autonomous (driverless) cars. In July 2016, the government added £30m to the Intelligent Mobility Fund to […]
The Welsh Assembly will help to fund new investment in Wales by Car manufacturer Aston Martin it has been revealed. The value of the grant has not been disclosed, however, which is unusual. This from Carwyn Jones, […]
Peugeot’s opposition to UK subsidies aimed at Nissan. Mark Milner writes:”The head of one of Europe’s biggest car makers has attacked the European commission’s decision to approve British government aid for the Nissan plant in Sunderland. Jean-Martin […]
Copyright: Corporate Welfare Watch 2017