Nissan to resume production at Spanish plant, pilot safety steps in UK

Nissan will restart production at its Barcelona factory from May 4 and it will begin piloting safety measures at its British plant with the return of around 50 staff this week, the Japanese carmaker said on Wednesday.

"The management team in Spain is working with the local works councils in those plants on the new measures and procedures required to ensure a safe restart," it said in a statement.

The automaker's output in Spain has been suspended since March 13 and in Britain, where it builds its Qashqai, Juke and Leaf cars, since March 17 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

No date has yet been set for production to resume at its northern England Sunderland factory, where roughly 6,000 people work.

"Regular reviews will take place throughout each phase of this pilot, taking into account the feedback from the teams involved," the firm said.

"This will inform the return to work protocols for the rest of the factory in the coming weeks."