Nissan Motor will take legal action against Britain’s Vote Leave campaign after its logo was used in a leaflet promoting Brexit ahead of Thursday’s EU referendum.

The Japanese carmaker has long held a pro-EU stance and believes that the use of its logo alongside a “misleading” statement could taint its image.

The statement in question says: “Major employers have all said they’ll stay in the UK whatever the result of the referendum” and displays Nissan’s logo along with the likes of Vauxhall and Unilever beside it.

The car maker is now pursuing legal action against the campaign, requesting that its name and logo be removed from any further Vote Leave promotions.

In a statement released earlier this year, Nissan’s chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: “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.”

Nissan employs 8000 people in the UK and a further 32,000 indirectly through its supply chain. It is one of several big players in the automotive industry that have reiterated their views on the importance of remaining in Europe in the past few days.

Pro-Brexit campaigners have responded by saying that the UK's expertise in car manufacturing would ensure that the industry would stay strong if the UK were to leave the EU.

Source: Autocar UK