Nissan vows to work with Centre on incentive dispute

Japanese auto major Nissan on Friday said it is committed to working with the Indian government to resolve a dispute over pending incentives to be given by the Tamil Nadu state government.

The company has reportedly dragged the Indian government to international arbitration seeking over USD 770 million, which includes unpaid incentives, damages and interest costs among others, reports PTI. When contacted a Nissan spokesperson did not deny the development. "We are committed to working with the Government of India toward a resolution," the spokesperson said without specifying reasons for taking up such a step. The spokesperson also did not comment on where the Japanese company has initiated the arbitration proceedings. According to a Reuters report, Nissan had sent a legal notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year on the issue.

"Nissan is proud to play a role in the ‘Make in India’ effort and we have created over 40,000 jobs in India, directly and indirectly, and contributed to the economic growth of Tamil Nadu where we have invested around a billion dollars," the spokesperson said.

The Renault-Nissan alliance has set up a manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu with an investment of around Rs 6,100 crore so far. It has a total capacity to produce 4.8 lakh units per year. The automotive group was offered various sops, including tax incentives by the Tamil Nadu government to set up the plant in the state. According to the Reuters report, the state government has not paid incentives due in 2015 to the company, which had also taken up the matter with the Centre for intervention

In October, Nissan said it aims to garner a five per cent share of the Indian passenger car market by 2020. The firm, at present, has less than a two percent share of India’s passenger car market. It manufactures and sells the Micra hatchback, the Sunny sedan and the Terrano sport-utility vehicle. It also sells cars under its Datsun brand.

Global automakers like Ford and Hyundai also operate production hubs in the southern state.