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The head of Nissan, which has a major manufacturing plant in Sunderland, has warned the car maker would "reconsider" its future in the UK if it left the European Union.
Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of the Japanese motoring company, has said the company would re-evaluate its position if the UK was to leave the EU.
Speaking at the launch of Nissan's new Qashqai model, he said: "If anything has to change we (would) need to reconsider our strategy and our investments for the future."
But he added that he considered such an exit unlikely.
The new Qashqai will be built at Nissan's Sunderland site, which employs 6,500 workers.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a vote on EU membership in 2017 if the Conservatives win the next general election in 2015.
Asked about the prospect of Britain leaving the EU, Mr Ghosn told the BBC: "Obviously it's going to be a major factor happening and we are going to need to consider what does it mean for us for the future.
"I'm not worried about Sunderland. Sunderland is a very competitive plant, it's a very productive plant and it's a European plant based in the UK.
"If anything has to change, we need to reconsider our strategy and our investments for the future."
Recent research has indicated strongly that UK manufacturers are against a UK exit but believe the public should be given a referendum.
Last month manufacturer's organisation the EEF published
research that indicated an overwhelming 85% of its members wanted Britain to remain in the EU. Those questioned said that exiting the EU would put business and development plans at risk and that membership was critical to exports.
A
survey of Professional Engineering's own readers confirmed this issue that engineers back the EU. A substantial 71% of
PE readers said they supported the UK’s ongoing membership of the EU, with 67% of respondents saying that a withdrawal would hamper trade.