Nissan Europe Chairman, Paul Willcox said: “The Juke’s unique design is one of the reasons Nissan is now the undisputed crossover leader, underpinning five consecutive years of sales growth in Europe.

“With the next-generation Juke now confirmed for future production, customers can be assured that Nissan is going to remain the benchmark in the crossover segment for many years to come.

“This announcement also gives security to our Sunderland plant beyond 2020, which the team has earned through many years of hard work and their ability to continually raise the bar on quality.”

Chancellor George Osborne added: “It’s fantastic news that Nissan will be building their new car here in Sunderland and securing valuable jobs for thousands of working people in the area.

“Our ambitious plan to build the Northern Powerhouse means building on the area’s strengths – including manufacturing – and this announcement is an important sign of Britain being chosen as a global leader in car production.”

The new model will be the first to be built on the Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF-B architecture that will also underpin future models such as the Clio. Nissan added that the Common Module Family (CMF) engineering architecture is set to bring efficiencies in all areas, including production.

The model will also be tailored to meet European drivers’ needs, with Nissan’s European design team in Paddington, London, and European Engineering Headquarters in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, to be instrumental in the development of it.