THE first new Micra will roll off a North-East production line this week, spearheading the growth of the UK's largest car maker, Nissan.

The Sunderland plant, already the most productive in Europe, has undergone a £235m refit to accommodate the new supermini, production of which starts on Friday.

Extra production robots, an expanded paint and body shop and major retooling has been carried out at the factory which employs 4,900 people. The investment has secured 1,400 jobs which would have been lost had the Micra been built elsewhere.

For the first time, Nissan also has in place a three-shift system, up from the current two a day, which would be capable of raising production from the 350,000 cars a year to 500,000.

"Micra is a very important tool in our growth plan, so we are very ambitious about this car made at Sunderland," said European vice-president of sales and marketing Mario Canavesi.

Under the "Nissan 180" sales plan, the firm is aiming to produce a million extra cars, achieve an eight per cent profit margin and have zero net automotive debt by 2005.

The Micra, which was launched in 1993, is pivotal to the company's success and 160,000 cars a year will be built at the plant.

UK marketing director Simon Thomas told The Northern Echo: "It is a key product for us.

"Micra is synonymous with the brand.

"It defines what Nissan is. If we wanted to move the brand forward the one car we needed to change more than any other was Micra.

"We had 107,000 sales in the UK this year and most of these were from Sunderland. We also exported more than 250,000 cars. Micra was so important to us that we pulled forward the launch two weeks.

"It was going to be February, now deliveries will be on January 15.

"Just two weeks after the first one rolls off the line every one of our 230 dealers will have the car in their showrooms."

The new model marks a radical departure from the car it replaces. It has a fresh modern look, high specification and a competitive price tag.

It comes in three and five-door bodystyles and the range will eventually offer the choice of 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4 litre petrol versions and two 1.5 litre diesels, with high and low power outputs. Prices range from £7,495 to £10,295.

More than 3,000 Micras a week will be built on Wearside in the latest expansion which brings Nissan's total investment in the site to £1bn.

"With that level of investment I don't think we would ever walk away from the North-East," said Mr Thomas.

"Why would we, when it is still the most efficient plant in Europe, one of the best in the world and that is credit and testament to the workforce there."