Within just four years of its presence in the Indian subcontinent, Japanese auto giant Nissan Motor Co Ltd has witnessed a growth of 216%. ?We sold 160 units in the FY05, 250 units in 2006 and 506 units in FY07,? said Neeraj Garg, director, marketing and sales, Nissan Motor India Private Limited. Of the 506 units, 330 were of the Teana luxury sedan model and the rest were of the SUV model X-Trail.
The company forayed into the Indian market with its first product – the Nissan X-Trail – in in 2004 and with the Teana in 2007. ?We are looking at having a presence across all segments,? said Simon Sproule, corporate vice-president, global communications, CSR division, Nissan Motor Co. The company has lined up the launch of eight models under different segments in India by 2012. ?We plan to have eight models by 2012, excluding our small car project with Bajaj Auto Ltd,? said Sproule.
On the course of the talks with Bajaj, Sproule said, ?The talks are on relating to design, technology and branding. The announcement should be made in few months and not years.? He added that since the Nano was planned to be launched sometime later in 2008, ?we should be in market pretty soon? On whether the car will be made at the Chennai plant which has been set up with partner Renault, Sproule said, ?No. The decision as to where it will be produced is yet to be made.? The Rs 4,500-crore Chennai plant will be a Common – A platform and is expected to be operational by 2010. ?The total 4-lakh facility that has been planned will be shared equally by Renault and Nissan,? said Sproule. However, he added that the two companies will have separate assembling lines.
On the range of models that will be made at the Chennai plant, Sproule said, ?The A-platform will be for a range of mass volume products.? He further added that the plant will have potential for expansion and will be also used as an export base. ?We will also look at outsourcing engineering services from Chennai to globally support Nissan,? he added. ?Our strategy is to locally build products and partnerships like we have formed with Ashok Leyland,? he said. He added that the company currently plans no further joint ventures in India.?