A NEW North-East vehicle will help a car maker top 5.5 million annual sales, bosses have predicted.

Nissan says it expects the sporty Infiniti Q30, which will be made at its Sunderland factory, to make a big impression on motorists.

The company is expanding its Wearside plant to accommodate the hatchback, which will become the first Sunderland-built car exported to the US.

The firm expects to make up to 60,000 models a year when production starts this year, with the venture on Infiniti, Nissan’s luxurious sister brand, creating nearly 300 direct jobs.

Bosses revealed the sales forecast as the Japanese company presented its results for the year to March 31, and announced an increase in European sales.

The firm, which employs nearly 7,000 staff at its Sunderland plant, said operating profits were 18 per cent higher at just over £3bn, with net revenue also up year-on-year to nearly £60bn.

European sales were also up in April, from 50,339 to 54,781, with the rise led by the ever-popular Qashqai and Juke models, which are both made on Wearside.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s president and chief executive, hailed the potential influence of the Q30, while revealing the company’s European and US sales had offset challenging conditions in Japan and emerging markets.

He said: “These are solid results in a highly competitive marketplace.

“We have been encouraged by demand for our new products, and, in the year ahead, we will remain focused on delivering continued revenue and profit growth.

“For our 2015 financial year, we expect to sell 5.55 million cars, and new models, including the Infiniti Q30, are expected to contribute to our sales growth.”

The company added it sold 9,716 cars in the UK last month, ahead of 9,107 in Russia and 7,137 in France, with 18,735 Qashqais and 8,106 Jukes bought by motorists.

Earlier this year, The Northern Echo confirmed the Q30 will be followed by the Infiniti QX30.

That model will be made exclusively at Nissan’s Wearside plant from next year, with the Q30 due to arrive in showrooms at the back end of this year.

They will join a production line that boasts the Qashqai and Juke, as well as the Nissan Note and all-electric Leaf.

More than two million Qashqais have been made at the Sunderland site since 2006, with in excess of 1.7 million exported to 132 international markets.