THE car on which 5,000 North-East jobs are riding will go on sale in the New Year, Nissan confirmed last night.

Bosses at the Franco-Japanese car firm reckon the new Micra supermini will set new standards for the small car class when it hits UK showrooms on January 23.

Nissan's 5,000-strong workforce in Sunderland will be keeping their fingers crossed that the Micra is a success. Although the factory remains the most productive car plant in Europe many fear Nissan may be tempted to build future new models abroad unless Britain signs up to the euro.

Nissan sold 483,990 cars in Europe last year, a fall of nine per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

The new Micra is almost certain to reverse that decline. It's an all new design with a brand new chassis and smart new looks.

Nissan has signalled its determination to make the car a success by loading even the cheapest models with extras.

All versions, except those with the higher powered 82PS dCi engine, can be ordered from early November.

The Micra was unveiled as Nissan revealed a big increase in profits.

Officials said they expect to report an 84 per cent increase in operating profits for the first half - a remarkable transformation of the company's fortunes.