Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai produced its 1-millionth vehicle
January 8, 2016 was a red-letter day for Renault-Nissan Alliance as the 1 millionth car left the production line at the Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Oragadam, Chennai. The jubilee car Nissan Micra, which left the assembly line in the presence of Fumiaki Matsumoto, EVP (Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management operations), Nissan Motor Corporation. The Oragadam plant that commenced operations in 2010, is the Alliance’s largest production facility in the world. It is complemented by a major R&D facility Renault-Nissan Technology Business Centre India (RNTBCI) which is also in Chennai, plays a huge role in model development in India ensuring products are locally relevant.
The Alliance has invested a total of Rs 6,100 crore in the plant, which manufactures cars for both domestic and export markets, and has shipped over 6 lakh units to 106 countries since 2010. The plant has a regular production capacity of 200,000 units, and 480,000 units at full ramp-up, as of CY 2015. Till date the plant has produced 32 Nissan, Datsun and Renault models, with the latest one being the Renault Kwid. The facility will also manufacture Datsun’s upcoming car, the RediGo, which is slated for launch soon.
Speaking at the celebratory function of the millionth car, Christian Mardrus, Chairman of Nissan’s Africa, Middle East and India region, and former Alliance Executive Vice-President, said, “I congratulate our workforce in Chennai for achieving a significant landmark in the ongoing evolution of this plant. Our Chennai facility has, and will continue to play a fundamental role in the development of our business in India. This milestone reflects the popularity of Nissan and Renault products in India and export markets, as well as the skill and dedication of our staff. It is also a measure of the high level of support we have enjoyed from the Tamil Nadu Government.” The plant was established by the Alliance to meet the growing demand from Indian customers for high quality, locally-produced cars. Together, the manufacturing plant and R&D facility account for around 12,000 direct jobs in Tamil Nadu, with a fur ther 4,000 in the Indian supplier chain, making an increasing contribution to the local economy. Colin MacDonald, CEO and Managing Director, Renault Nissan Automotive India commented that, “This is a proud day for ever yone associated with the plant. On an average, we have launched 2 new models each year across 3 brands since 2010. The workforce and our supplier par tners deser ve enormous credit for achieving this while increasing annual production volume.” March - Plant inauguration May - Nissan Micra production starts September - Start of exports
February - Nissan Teana production starts April - Renault Fluence production starts June - Production milestone of 1 lakh cars achieved August - Nissan Sunny production starts December - Renault Pulse production starts
May - Renault Duster production starts July - Renault Duster production starts
September - Achieved production mark of 5 lakh cars Nissan Terrano production starts
January - Datsun Go production starts September - Datsun Go+ production starts December - Renault Lodgy production starts
September - Renault Kwid production starts Export of K9K Engine 3C parts to Spain
January - Achieves production of 10,00,000 cars