Renault-Nissan alliance inaugurated their massive 4,00,000 capacity plant at Oragadam in the presence of CEO Carlos Ghosn, Hon. Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Dr. Kalaignar Karunanithi and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Dr M.K. Stalin. The presence of Yoshiro Mori, president, the Japan-India Association & Former Prime Minister of Japan and both the Ambassadors of Japan and France to India shows how important India is to Renault-Nissan. More than 1,000 guests from Renault-Nissan and the media joined the dignitaries at the inauguration ceremony.
The 4,00,000 capacity plant has come up at an investment of Rs 45 Billion (US$ 990 Million, yup thats 990 followed by 6 zeros – 990,000,000). The Chennai plant initially employs 1,500 workers for the Start of Production in May this year. This facility has created over 6,000 job opportunities in the region.
Hit the jump to see all the images (courtesy our good friends at Indian Autos Blog), info on the plant and the actual vehicle.
Part –1 On the Plant
“Our plant in Chennai represents a key milestone for the Renault Nissan Alliance in India,” said Carlos Ghosn. “With the new Micra, we have the start of a product offensive in India that is supported by a localized manufacturing facility capable of making products for both Renault and Nissan.”
The first vehicle to come out of the plant is Nissan’s all new fourth generation Micra, a global model based on the firm’s acclaimed V-platform that will also spawn a sedan, a mini MPV and Renault’s next-gen Clio. The Micra and its derivatives are meant to be exported to Europe, the Middle-East and Africa. 2011 will see the assembly of Renault’s Koleos SUV and Fluence. The plant incorporates the best global engineering and production and quality control practices of both Renault and Nissan. This is the first instance in the alliance where the know-how of both the firms have been shared and incorporated. The new manufacturing process allows the plant to seamlessly mix production of both Renault and Nissan products on same line.
Akira Sakurai, managing director and CEO of Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited, said: “The opening of any new plant is a significant achievement, but the speed and quality of execution at this plant in Chennai has been exceptional. I want to recognize the support from the state of Tamil Nadu and our employees who have helped made this plant a reality and will lead us to both domestic and export success with the products we are building,” continued Sakurai.
The plant is in close proximity to Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Pvt Ltd (RNTBCI) which is contributing to both partners’ global operations in the key areas of advanced research and development, advanced CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering), product development, digital vehicle development, information systems development and local and global parts sourcing.
We would like to extend our thanks to Indian Autos Blog for allowing us to post their images to our readers. Visit us tomorrow for more comments on the India-bound Micra.
You can check out IAB’s pictures from their Flickr account by clicking here.
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Hello IAB, thanks for bringing in such a nice coverage of MADE-IN-INDIA MICRA. Interior looks above average in this segment. Lets c what kind of pricing n marketing strategy Nissan adopt for it. Seems they have choosen this model very cautiously. Even if they r not able to sell MICRA in good numbers in India, they will easily ship them out of India in export markets. In this way, their plant will be running in full capacity and they will be making cheap Micra in India. However, with time Nissan sales in India will grow and certainly 5 years down the line they will have good presence all over India. Also it seems Nissan will bring do slight modification in Micra after seeing the market reaction, sometime in 1st half of next year. Further, they will try to make different cars on the same platform. afterall, the current built in capacity at Chennai plant is 200,000/year which will further go up to 400,000. Let us see how this new born baby in Indian market grows..Micra’s mother plant NISSAN FUKUOKA, Japan seems fully prepared to take up any challenge.
Dear Mr.Bhushan,
Thanks for the good words. You are right Nissan has done sufficient homework before finalizing Micra’s features and specifications. Even if it fails in India Nissan and Ranault will ship them out to other countries. Now India has become a car manufacturing hub. Lets keep our fingers crossed to hear the pricing.
I’m happy to hear your words. let’s hope people take to the Nissan brand and the Micra. On top of all, lets hope Nissan prices the Micra competitively
i want Nissan Oragadam office address & contact details