A RECORD-BREAKING North-East car plant will start work on a new vehicle in the coming days, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Nissan is adding the Juke Nismo RS to its production line at Sunderland.

It is understood work will start towards the end of October, supporting roles for the factory’s near 7,000-strong workforce.

Bosses say the model, an upgraded version of its existing Juke, will be on sale from December.

The company has also confirmed it expects to make more than 500,000 cars at Sunderland for a third consecutive year, despite previous delays.

Earlier this year, it was forced into a temporary shutdown after problems in its press shop, which makes body parts, and maintenance work taking longer than expected.

Guillaume Cartier, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Nissan in Europe, said: “With the Juke Nismo already accounting for a growing number of all Juke sales in Europe, the enthusiasts' desire for more performance is clearly there.

“The new Nismo RS offers just that and the result is engaging, exciting and accessible.”

The new sportier-looking Juke follows Nissan’s decision to update its standard crossover model, with optional extras including sports seats, re-designed headlights, a monitor to view nearby objects and a blind spot warning gauge.

Its presence on the Sunderland production line will see it join existing Qashqai, Note and all-electric Leaf vehicles.

The factory will also be responsible for building a new luxury model.

Work is continuing to extend the plant by 25,000sq metres in a project between Nissan and sister brand Infiniti.

The site, which is due to open in 2015, will house a body shop and assembly line for the Infiniti Q30 hatchback, which Nissan hopes can compete with the likes of the Audi A3 and Mercedes Benz CLA Class.

Infiniti will become the first new car brand to be made in the UK on this scale for 23 years.

Nissan previously said the expansion will create 280 jobs at the plant and about 750 jobs at the firm's suppliers.