Nissan boss warns UK over possible EU exit
Carlos Ghosn launched the new Nissan Qashqai on Thursday
Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn has told the BBC that if the UK left the European Union then the carmaker would "reconsider" its future investment in the UK.
He was speaking at the launch of the company's new Qashqai model.
It will be built in Sunderland, where Nissan employs 6,500 workers.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a public vote on EU membership in 2017 if the Conservatives win the next general election in 2015.
When asked how Nissan would react if the UK was to leave the EU, Mr Ghosn said: "If anything has to change we [would] need to reconsider our strategy and our investments for the future."
But he also added that he considers the exit scenario to be unlikely.
Nissan 'blessed'
Praising the Sunderland plant, Mr Ghosn said it was one of the most productive in Europe and said Nissan was "blessed" to own it.
With sales of more than 240,000 last year, the Qashaqi is Nissan's best-selling car in Europe.
The car accounts for more than half of the output of the Sunderland plant and Mr Ghosn says the new model "ensures" a lot of jobs in the city.
European market
Mr Ghosn, who is also chief executive of Nissan's sister company Renault, says that after five years of decline the European car market is arriving at "the end of the tunnel".
He says that next year the European market should be stable with possibly a little growth.
Action by the European Central Bank, including Thursday's cut in interest rates, could help that recovery according to Mr Ghosn.
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