Nissan Motor India today announced the start of production of its 'Made-in-India' compact car (hatchback) Nissan Micra at its manufacturing plant at Oragadam, near Chennai. "In an exponentially growing and challenging Indian automobile industry, we are introducing a product that has been specifically designed keeping in mind the discerning consumer needs of India. The India made Micra will supply to strategic markets such as Europe, Middle East and Africa and this is only possible due to the high quality skills of Indian team," said Toshiyuki Shiga, Chief Operating Officer, Nissan Motor Company.
Nissan Micra will be displayed in all Nissan showrooms across the country from tomorrow. The company has also decided to start the pre-order bookings for the Micra at all these showrooms. Customers can visit these showrooms and book their car against an initial booking amount of Rs 50,000. The sales for Nissan Micra will commence in July 2010. The company is expected to rollout an advertising campaign for the car shortly.
More than 85 per cent of its parts used for the new Nissan Micra are procured through around 96 local vendors and half of them are located in Chennai. "We always had a clear strategy for India and this has been clearly reflected in our investments in the first manufacturing plant for the alliance in Chennai. We are now confident that the Indian customers will like our product offerings beginning with the Nissan Micra, and this is the right product at the right time," said Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director and CEO, Nissan Motor India.
The plant which started production has a capacity to produce 400,000 units per year at full ramp up. The plant is spread over an area of 640 acres, represents an investment of $990 million. The initial production capacity at the plant will be 200,000 units with one line and the company is looking at producing more than 80,000 units. The plant employs 1,900 workers and will reach 3,000 in two years time. The company, along with its supplier park in Chennai, estimates a total of 6,000 jobs to be created in the region.
The new Nissan Micra, built on a new versatile platform - the V-platform, is designed to have broad appeal to customers in both emerging and developed markets. Nissan Micra was designed and tested in Japan and fine-tuned to meet the differing tastes and needs of customers worldwide. The Nissan Micra is a reliable, stylish and eco-friendly car for people who enjoy everyday driving. The compact hatchback, with its affable appearance, is also engineered for easy handling and sprightly performance, while realizing class-leading fuel efficiency.
