Nissan has indicated a preference for Britain to remain in the EU by stating that “stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns”.

The Japanese manufacturer’s chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said that while the business “remains committed to building and engineering cars” in Britain it made most sense for jobs, trade and costs for the nation to remain a part of the union.

Nissan will not pro-actively support any political campaign in the run up to the EU referendum, however.

The manufacturer currently employs 8,000 people in the UK across its manufacturing, engineering and design facilities, and a further 32,000 indirectly through dealerships and its supply chain.

Mr Ghosn said: "We are a global business with a strong presence in Europe. We have a rich heritage in the UK with 30 years of manufacturing and engineering presence, and remain committed to building and engineering cars in the country. 

“Last year we produced more than 475,000 vehicles in the UK – 80 percent of which are exported.

“Our preference as a business is, of course, that the UK stays within Europe – it makes the most sense for jobs, trade and costs. For us, a position of stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns.

"However, this is ultimately a matter for the British people to decide.”

He added: “While we remain committed to our existing investment decisions, we will not speculate on the outcome, nor what would happen in either scenario.

“We obviously want the Nissan UK plant and engineering centre to remain as competitive as possible when compared with other global entities, and each future investment opportunity will be taken on a case by case basis, just as it is now."