The official opening ceremony for production of Nissan's groundbreaking electric car - the Nissan Leaf - at the company's manufacturing plant in Sunderland on Thursday, March 28, was attended by Prime Minister David Cameron, who hailed the manufacturing industry of the region.

Addressing the employees at Nissan's Sunderland plant, Cameron said that the Japanese manufacturer's £420 million in the project would go towards future products and technology; and added that said the production launch of Nissan leaf at the factory was apparently the best possible reprove of the opinion that Britain can no longer design, manufacturer or export products.

With the Nissan Leaf project in Sunderland expected to create 560 jobs at the manufacturing facility and 1,500 jobs at supply companies across the North-East, Cameron said, in his message to the workers that the whole of UK was "very proud" of the developments taking shape at the history-making car plant at which the Nissan Leaf will be manufactured for the European market.

Although Cameron admitted that Britain needs to create more jobs in the North-East region, he also told The Northern Echo that the region has "shown that given the opportunity it can compete with the best in the world."

Further adding that Nissan Leaf production launch at the Sunderland plant was "an example to manufacturers across the country," Cameron said: "Workers here have shown that we can and we can do it brilliantly."