Nissan says Brexit-induced fall in pound left it slightly worse off

LONDON (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Nissan <7201.T> said on Wednesday that the Brexit-induced fall in the pound, which dropped by some 15 percent against the euro after the June 23 referendum, had left it slightly worse off. When asked whether exporting cars from its north of England plant, which are now cheaper due to the depreciation in sterling, outweighed the extra cost of importing euro-denominated parts, Senior Vice President in Europe Colin Lawther said the overall effect was marginally negative. "We're exposed to not having enough GBP pounds, so we are slightly worse off than we were in January, February the year before the currency changed dramatically," he told a conference in London on Wednesday. Nissan said last year that it would build two new models at its Sunderland plant in North East England after what a source said was a government pledge for extra support to counter any loss of competitiveness caused by Britain leaving the EU. (Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Maytaal Angel)