NISSAN’S Sunderland plant was warned yesterday not to take for granted being chosen for European production of the new Leaf electric car.

Trevor Mann, Nissan’s senior vice-president for manufacturing in Europe, told regional business leaders “we are working very hard”

and “hoping to bring some good news to the region in the very near future”, regarding production of the zero-emission electric vehicle, which was unveiled in Japan in August.

Speculation has been rife in recent months that the Japanese car producer would carry out European production of the Leaf, due to start in 2012, at Sunderland.

It follows Nissan’s announcement in July that its European Centre of Excellence for Battery Manufacturing, for its electric vehicles, will sit alongside its existing plant.

But speaking after his speech at regional development agency One North East’s annual review meeting in Durham City yesterday, Mr Mann cautioned against complacency.

Although he said he was as “confident as we can be”, Mr Mann said: “We have not made the decision – the Sunderland plant still has a lot to do.”

However, with plants in Spain and France also in the running, Mr Mann admitted that Sunderland would be a logical site for Leaf production.

He said: “Having the battery plant in Sunderland is one of our advantages, so we have to make sure we maximise the other things and secure the product.”

Mr Mann said that an announcement on where the Leaf would be produced, scheduled for the middle of next year, could be made sooner because of the interest surrounding the decision.

The importance of new industries, including the electric vehicle market, to the region was highlighted by One North East chief executive Alan Clarke.

In his speech to delegates, he said: “Major investment in new industries – such as electric vehicle technology by Nissan and the public sector, new and renewable energies such as offshore wind power and advances in the process industries sector – will help underpin the North-East economy of the future.”

Mr Clarke said that the region was better placed than in previous recessions to take advantage of the economic upturn.

He said: “I know that after years of consistent regional economic growth and with a far more diverse business base, we are weathering this economic storm far better than in the past, better equipped to take advantage of the upturn when it arrives.

“However, we are not out of the woods yet. This recession has bitten hard, with many people, families and businesses still dealing with the impact of lost jobs and growing unemployment.”

One North East chairwoman Margaret Fay also addressed the meeting for probably the last time in her present role.

After six years in the post, she was due to step down at the end of this year, before being asked to stay on for a further 12 months by Lord Mandelson.

The role will be advertised in the national press this weekend and Mrs Fay said there was no guarantee she would be filling it in a year’s time.