France-based automobile manufacturer Renault and Japan-headquartered Nissan on Monday committed investments of $600 million (around Rs 5,300 crore) in the country 15 years after foraying into the Tamil Nadu automobile industry. The fresh round of investments would witness roll out of six new models between the two companies including -- two electric vehicles -- representing the two global brands, Nissan Global chief operating officer and Member, Alliance Board Ashwani Gupta said in Chennai.
Renault-Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd (RNAIPL) on Wednesday appointed Kou Kimura as chief executive officer and managing director for its Chennai manufacturing facility with effect from April 1.
The Renault Nissan alliance announced on Thursday the creation of new business centre by the name of The Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Private Ltd in Chennai.
The Renault-Nissan alliance aims to have a 10 per cent share in the Indian passenger vehicles market
The Renault-Nissan alliance currently employs around 8,000 workers at its Chennai plant
The automaker said that production at the Renault Nissan Alliance Plant, where Nissan, Renault and Datsun brands are manufactured, had gone up by 15 per cent and was expected to increase further on the back of increasing export orders.
Two Japanese auto giants, Honda and Nissan, are moving towards a potential merger, but it remains unclear how their Indian operations will be immediately impacted.
French auto major Renault on Monday said it will buy out its Japanese partner Nissan's stake in their Indian joint venture -- Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd. Renault Group would own 100 per cent of Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd (RNAIPL), by acquiring the 51 per cent shareholding currently held by Nissan, the company said in a statement.
Nissan is targeting annual domestic sales and exports of 100,000 units each by financial year 2026-27.
Tata Motors' Nano may be struggling to survive, but Renault Nissan alliance Chairman and chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn is glad the group followed the lead of "visionary" Ratan Tata's dream project
'We are very quickly going to announce the timeline of our launches, which should start giving us the turnaround'
Tamil Nadu -- often dubbed as India's own Detroit due to its thriving automobile manufacturing ecosystem -- is in no mood to miss the EV bus either. Recent developments attest to it. Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast has promised a $2 billion plant in the southern state. And as promised earlier, the work on Tata Motors-JLR plant will kick off next week, on September 28, after the foundation stone laying ceremony.
'India needs many more job creators, both in manufacturing and services, to make it big.' 'For that, the red carpet must be rolled out fully and for all investors without holding back,' suggests Nivedita Mookerji.
In its first official engagement with the Indian government, Elon Musk-led Tesla and other global automotive (auto) manufacturers sought clarification on the new electric vehicle (EV) policy, specifically regarding investment guidelines and the timeline for the domestic value addition (DVA) requirement. Officials who attended the meeting told Business Standard that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tried to understand whether the complete investment would be made within three or five years and the duration they would have to achieve the 50 per cent DVA. "The consultation meeting was convened to address queries from auto OEMs.
The global alliance between Renault-Nissan and Daimler AG announced today is likely to add one more car to the list of small cars jostling for market share.
The first automobiles from the facility would roll out in the second half of 2009, Kashub Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra group, said after signing a MoU with the Tamil Nadu government for the project.
Japanese auto major Nissan on Wednesday said it is discontinuing Datsun brand in India, nine years after the company kicked off the marque's global relaunch in the country. Having failed in its ambitious global relaunch of Datsun, Nissan had in 2020 discontinued the brand in Russia and Indonesia, the other two countries along with South Africa and India which were marked as key markets targeting the entry level car segment. Confirming the move to discontinue the Datsun brand, Nissan India in a statement said, "Production of Datsun redi-GO has ceased at the Chennai plant (Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd). "Sales of the model still continue (till the stock lasts)."
According to industry sources, Nissan will roll-out the latest generation Micra from the plant in May for the Indian market.
The traffic tells a story. During the lockdown, it took 45 minutes to zip through the deserted 35-km stretch from Chennai to reach the automobile heart of Sriperumbudur-Oragadam, where the big names of the car industry - Hyundai Motor India, Renault-Nissan India, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, Apollo Tyres, and Royal Enfield - are based.
With the threat of a third Covid-19 wave looming large, companies are scrambling to protect employees and keep operations safe--from a no-jab-no-entry-at-workplace policy to ramping up vaccination, it's an all-out effort to prevent the scale of devastation seen in the first two waves. At least two top steel companies--Tata Steel and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India)--are pushing for vaccination certificates for entry into work premises. AM/NS India, a joint venture between world's leading steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, and Japan's Nippon Steel, is set to make vaccination the certificate a requirement from July 1.
The factory is likely to come up beside the current Renault-Nissan factory at Oragadam, near Chennai, according to reports.
Japanese auto major Honda on Wednesday said it will focus on India and China for future growth as sales in developed markets like the United States and Europe continue to drag due to the global economic downturn.
Nissan Motor Company on Friday said it has appointed Akira Sakurai as the managing director and CEO of Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd (RNAIPL) and has made a few more changes in the management to establish itself as one of the major players in the country.
"As per the agreement, the design, engineering, sourcing and manufacturing will be handled by Bajaj Auto while marketing and selling will be by Renault-Nissan Alliance."
According to the Auto Component Manufacturers Association, the apex body of component makers in India, global sourcing of components from the country will double from $2.95 billion to $5.9 billion in 2008-09, and is slated to hit $20 billion in seven years.
The hatchback model is christened as K2 and will take inspiration from Micra.
According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, significant growth is being witnessed in the multi-axle trucks segment, which has posted 112 per cent growth in the year 2006-07.
Nissan and Renault say they will compete with new models, especially small cars, and by growing their dealer network.
Ghosn's partnership with motorcycle and auto-rickshaw maker Bajaj Auto got most publicity.
Carlos Ghosn has appointed small-car specialist Gerard Detourbet to design one specially for India.
Even as domestic passenger car sales declined 29.4 per cent between April and August this year, exports grew 6.5 per cent, partially cushioning the blow from slowing sales.
Renault Kwid is a good entry-level car for Indian roads.
The Datsun brand which belongs to Nissan has been recently revived to introduce value-for-money cars in emerging markets and the first two cars to wear this nameplate are expected by 2014.
Auto component sourcing has touched $3 billion in India and is expected to double by next financial year-end. Such sourcing has provided Indian players with the opportunity to charge a premium that varies between 5 and 10 per cent.
Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj said the company has, in partnership with Renault-Nissan, developed India's most fuel efficient and least-polluting car engine.
Prototype for ultra low-cost car not ready, says Renault; getting out five other vehicles is priority for next year.
Nissan also has a car-manufacturing tie-up with its global alliance partner Renault.
The small car market of India is booming like never before.
The small car, initially supposed to hit the market by 2011, was delayed by a year due to differences between the partners over pricing and design.
Tata Motors is hot on Renault's heels in a drive to produce and distribute the world's most affordable car in the fast-growing India market.
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