NISSAN'S latest model will begin rolling off the firm's North-East production lines today.
About 800 jobs will be safeguarded by the production of the Nissan Note at Sunderland.
A further 200 posts have been created by the launch of the five-door compact people carrier.
Trevor Mann, vice-president of the Sunderland plant, said: "The Note is now the second new model to be launched here inside five months - and we have another on the way in December.
"We plan to sell in excess of 90,000 cars each year, making the Note a high volume model.
"As such, it's a very important car for us and will make a big contribution to Nissan's overall success in the challenging European market.
"It takes a great deal of sustained effort to remain competitive, and days like this are the pay-off for a lot of very hard work on behalf of everyone at the plant, and our suppliers."
The company has invested £125m in the development and production of the Note.
About 80 per cent of Notes built in Sunderland will be exported to mainland Europe, with the remainder going to dealers in the UK and Ireland.
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