London : Japanese carmaker Nissan confirmed it had abandoned plans to build the new model X-Trail in Sunderland, UK, Sky News reported on Sunday.

According to a letter written by Nissan Europe chairman Gianluca de Ficchy to workers, the X-Trail will continue to be made in Japan.

Ficchy said Brexit uncertainty had played a part in the decision, added that “We have taken this decision for the business reasons I’ve explained, but clearly the uncertainty around the UK’s future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future.”

“With the UK’s departure from the EU on March 29th getting closer every week, we have a taskforce in place, reporting to me, that it is considering all of the possible scenarios and the potential impact on business,” he said, reports Xinhua.

He said the workforce in Sunderland will continue to benefit from the investment planned for Juke and Qashqai.

Nissan employs around 7,000 people in Sunderland. The X-Trail production plans had been announced in the autumn of 2016.

—IANS