Two Japanese automobile manufacturers -- Isuzu and Yamaha -- on Wednesday started new production facilities in India.
Isuzu Motors will export vehicles and automotive components from its plant in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, officials said.
The company's 50,000 units per annum plant was inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu when he drove the first India-made D-Max pick-up model out of the assembly line.
"India is a strategic market for Isuzu Motors. We will be exporting out of India in the future as this plant will be a key manufacturing hub for our global operations," said Isuzu Motors president Masanori Katayama.
Isuzu Motors India chairman Hiroyasu Miura said the company has earmarked Rs.3,000 crore investment for the Indian project.
Naidu said the government agreed to the request of Isuzu Motors to extend investment incentives to component units in Sri City while exempting road tax to the company vehicles.
Eight component suppliers of Isuzu Motors will set up their operations at Sri City, he added.
Miura said the plant's production capacity can be increased to 120,000 units.
Bookings for Isuzu vehicles will soon start followed by deliveries across India. According to the company, D-Max V-Cross is India's first adventure utility vehicle.
India Yamaha Motor also inaugurated its new spare parts centre, spread across 30,000 square metres in Chennai.
"Timely supply of genuine spare parts to customers is the key to success. Our main objective behind the establishment of the new parts centre is to cater to the demands of consumers in south India with speed and quality," India Yamaha Motor chairman Hiroaki Fujita said in a statement.
The new spare parts centre aims to ship orders the next day after receiving them.
India Yamaha Motor has 20 spare parts distributors across 15 states and more than 3,000 spare retailers across the country.
--IANS
sth/pm/bg
