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Renault-Nissan's port of Tyne

- Port of Tyne is now entry point for all regional imports of Nissan, Infiniti and Dacia vehicles.
- Port consolidation strengthens synergies across Renault and Nissan.
- Alliance unified logistics division already generates more than €200 million in annual savings.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has established the Port of Tyne in northeast England as its common regional entry point for vehicles imported from Renault and Nissan plants overseas.

Establishing a single port in northern England is the latest step from the fully integrated Renault-Nissan logistics team, which generated more than €200 million euros in savings last year. The unified Alliance logistics team has already created common packing materials, integrated shipping and cargo operations, and put in place common logistics operations in Europe, as well as in Brazil, Russia, India and China - the so-called "BRICs."

An integrated team also supports customs and trade across the Alliance. This team has negotiated better terms and implemented common practices to establish optimized customs and trade policies worldwide, contributing more than €100 million per year in cost savings and cost avoidance.

Consolidating in Port of Tyne

Since 1995, Nissan has used Port of Tyne as its main entry port into the UK for vehicles manufactured overseas. Nissan employs more than 6,000 workers and last year produced 510,000 vehicles at its plant in Sunderland, home of the Nissan Qashqai, Juke and Note vehicles.

Nissan's partner Renault formerly relied on the Port of Teesport as its regional entry point for Renault vehicles and had also planned to receive Dacia vehicles there. As part of an Alliance tender activity in 2012 the benefits of consolidating the ports were confirmed and the recommendation to make Port of Tyne sole port in the region for the import of Alliance vehicles was ratified.

"Moving to a single, consolidated port is the latest step in the deepening collaboration between Renault and Nissan. Using the same port in this critical region reduces overall costs and complexity," said Christian Mardrus, Renault-Nissan Alliance Managing Director for Logistics.

A few weeks ago, the first shipment of right-hand-drive Dacia Duster cars for UK customers arrived at the Newcastle deep water port from the Alliance plant in Chennai, India. The affordable, multi-award-winning Dacia Duster has already recorded more than 2,500 pre-orders since order books opened last year.

During shipment from India to the UK, the compact sports utility vehicles travel on the same vessels as Nissan Micras, which are also produced at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai. Workers complete final inspection and fittings on all vehicles at Port of Tyne, then load them in shared Alliance trucks for shipment to UK dealerships.

Renault will continue to import Renault brand vehicles for the UK through Port of Southampton on the south coast of England.

About Renault-Nissan Alliance:

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a strategic partnership between Paris-based Renault and Yokohama, Japan-based Nissan, which together sell one in 10 cars worldwide. The companies, which have been strategic partners since 1999, sold 8.1 million cars in nearly 200 countries in 2012. In addition to AVTOVAZ, the Alliance operates strategic collaborations with automakers including Germany's Daimler, China's Dong Feng, and India's Ashok Leyland.