Nissan, the Japanese auto maker, has decided to increase its production capacity in India by 100 per cent with the aim of doubling its exports. The company has a manufacturing unit in Chennai, with current installed capacity of 2 lac vehicles. According to Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director and CEO, Nissan Motor India, the company has started ramping up the facility to ensure that it produces 4 lac units by the end of March 2012.
From March 2012, Nissan will have an additional 3 lac units annually, which will be sold by the manufacturer in European, African and Middle East markets. It has already begun exporting cars from India, with Micra selling well in international markets. Sunny, the sedan offered by the passenger vehicle maker in India, has followed the hatchback in West Asia, with Nissan shipping the first lot of the car on 1st February 2012. In January 2012, it had been able to roll out a total of 14403 vehicles in the overseas market, thereby attaining its highest export sales since it started production in India.
The manufacturer aims to sell approximately 35000-40000 units in India, while the bulk of the total number of cars produced domestically will be sent to foreign markets. However, Tokuyama stressed that the Indian market will continue to top its priority list. Reportedly, the company had a 1 per cent market share by the end of January 2012 in the local market and aims to start selling 1 lac cars by FY2013-14 in the country.
