A HUGE car brand appears to have won a bid to convince the Government to relax EV targets in the UK.
The Japanese car giant is teetering on the “brink of collapse”, with its only UK factory facing the possibility of closing for good.
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Nissan has been battling falling sales in the US and China and has run into issues at their Sunderland plant.
The firm could reportedly go under within a year if it does not receive much-needed support.
But talks over a merger with rivals Honda collapsed last month.
In recent weeks, Nissan has been lobbying the UK government to relax its upcoming zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) mandate.
The new rules require 28 per cent of all car sales to be EVs this year, rising to 80 per cent by 2030.
According to Nissan, the £15,000 fines for failing to meet this target have put its plant at risk.
After a lengthy lobbying process to get the government to change the targets, Nissan finally saw some success.
The government’s Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has met with representatives of the Japanese car giant in to help address the problem.
After lengthy negotiations, Labour has agreed to adjust the ZEV mandate so the firm is not penalised.
Mr Reynolds said a “substantial change of policy” has been agreed and Labour is keen that Nissan has a “secure long-term future in the UK”.
He told The Times: “The whole government is absolutely of the view that you will not get to the progress around net zero and the energy transition that we want to see by closing down British jobs and British industry.
“We’re absolutely committed to being ambitious on the environment and climate but we’re totally committed to vehicles being made in the UK.”
Labour has yet to confirm what the changes will be.
Nissan has made headlines in recent months as fears over the fate of the Sunderland plant have grown.
The factory is the brand’s only remaining European facility and could be axed in the company’s £2billion saving initiative.
A spokesperson for Nissan Europe said: “Given the latest performance of our company and the changing environment it is essential we explore options without any taboo and carry out a deeper structural reform.”
One of its most popular cars, the GT-R R35 has been axed as the company adjusts its strategy.
A statement on the carmakers website said: “We have received many orders for the Nissan GT-R and have now finished accepting orders for the planned production quantity.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers for their support since its release in 2007.”
Iconic car brand ‘on brink of collapse’ as ‘bosses warn company has just 12 months to survive’
ONE of the world’s largest car manufacturers reportedly could go under within 12 months if it doesn’t receive support.
The firm is looking to sure up its future by growing a partnership with its former rival after the reported collapse of a three-way alliance.
Nissan was one-third of a strategic deal with Mitsubishi and Renault to share financial backing and expand all their markets in Europe, Japan and the US.
The agreement dates back to 1999 but now could be on the brink of collapse.
A report from the Financial Times cites two anonymous “senior officials” at the firm suggesting that Renault is looking to reduce its financial stake in the Japanese carmaker.
The withdrawal of funding means, according to the same sources, that Nissan could require support from the Japanese or US governments within the next year just in order to stay afloat.
One of the officials said: “We have 12 or 14 months to survive.
“This is going to be tough.
“And in the end, we need Japan and the US to be generating cash.”
Nissan has already cut 9,000 jobs across its global operation, while its CEO Makoto Uchida took a 50% pay cut in an economy drive.
The business is working through an emergency recovery plan, which will see it cut output by 20% and slash around £2bn in costs.
Its struggles have partly been blamed on the lack of a strong hybrid lineup, which has helped rivals like Toyota and Honda through the global collapse in EV sales.
In a press conference earlier this month, Mr Uchida said: “This has been a lesson learned and we have not been able to keep up with the times.
“We weren’t able to foresee that hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids would be so popular.”
