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North East automotive representative to advise government

A leading figure in the North East car industry has been appointed as a government advisor.

Trevor Mann, Nissan’s senior vice-president for manufacturing in Europe, who is also managing director of the company’s Sunderland plant, was appointed to the newly created Automotive Council by Lord Mandelson last week.

The Business Secretary announced that the Government was setting up the council earlier this month, to ensure that the UK’s car industry could continue to compete in a competitive global market.

The announcement came at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ international automotive summit in London, ahead of Lord Mandelson telling delegates the motor industry faced the twin issues of decarbonisation and overcapacity.

He said together they made the next decade “critical for vehicle makers in Britain”.

Mr Mann said: “This industry is a major asset for the UK, and it is vital we ensure it can adapt and survive in a rapidly changing world.

“We need to ensure that the UK continues to play a major role globally, and the council will determine a long-term plan to develop a strategic approach for the sector.”

The council will advise the Government on where funding and support for the industry is best directed, at a time when it is moving towards radically reducing carbon emissions.

The North East is hoping to play a major role in that transition, with Prime Minister Gordon Brown announcing in July that the region would become the UK’s first economic area for low carbon vehicles.

It followed announcements in the summer that the region would take part in the world’s largest trial testing of the day-to-day viability of electric vehicles.

The council will be jointly chaired by Lord Mandleson and Richard Parry Jones, the former vice-president of product development at Ford.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .