Nissan boss leaves meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May on a positive note
Nissan's chief executive Carlos Ghosn has visited Prime Minister Theresa May to talk about Brexit following signals that the carmaker will halt investment in the UK.
After leaving the meeting, Ghosn suggested that it went smoothly. According to Sky News, he told reporters he is "confident the government will continue to ensure the UK remains a competitive place to do business".
Read more: Nissan to seek Brexit compensation or may pull investment at UK plant
Nissan has said the purpose of the meeting was to make sure it sees eye-to-eye with the government about the future of the country.
"We do not expect any specific agreement to be communicated following this initial introductory meeting of the CEO and the Prime Minister," a Nissan spokesperson said.
Nissan's factory in Sunderland accounts for roughly a third of the UK's car manufacturing. The factory employs nearly 7,000 people and makes about 500,000 cars a year.
Read more: Nissan says UK investment depends on Brexit deal
The carmaker is partly owned by Renault, which has signalled that manufacturing could be shifted across the channel if export tariffs become prohibitively expensive, should the UK leave the EU single market.
At a Paris motor show last month, Ghosn said:
If I need to make an investment in the next few months and I can't wait until the end of Brexit, then I have to make a deal with the UK government. If there are tax barriers being established on cars, you have to have a commitment for carmakers who export to Europe that there is some kind of compensation.