THE new Nissan Note is an important car for the North East, because it is being built in the company's Washington factory.

And the car itself sounds like a real winner - changing from a mini-MPV to a spacious hatch aimed at younger family buyers.

It's been developed with European buyers in mind and will be in showrooms in the autumn.

Prices and specifications will be revealed then but we do know that the entry-level 1.2 petrol engine from the Micra comes with 80bhp, giving a combined economy of 60.1mpg and emissions of 109g/km.

Further up the range is the supercharged 1.2-litre DIG-S engine, also from the Micra, with 98bhp and diesel matching economy and emissions of 65mpg and 99g/km.

Completing engine range is a newly engineered version of the 1.5-litre turbo diesel used in the old model, with 90bhp and just 95g/km of CO2 emissions, plus economy of 78.5mpg.

The new car also sees the debut of Nissan's Safety Shield in a small car - a package of safety that would previously only be seen in more expensive models.

The Note includes the latest version of the Nissan Connect navigation system, with all its connected services.

And the company says innovative design and engineering has meant that all of these technologies have been delivered at an affordable price. We shall see.