Thailand – The 580,000 sq.m facility, which cost 3.7 billion Thai baht ($114.3m), has a production capacity of 150,000 units per year. The OEM says it will be a “production hub” for the NP300 Navara, with more than half of its output set for export.
Fumiaki Matsumoto, Nissan’s executive vice-president with responsibility for global manufacturing, said the move “signifies our optimism for Thailand, as a growing automotive market, a center of manufacturing excellence for the region and an export hub for the world”.
The new plant produced its first NP300 Navara on July 1, ahead of the sales launch on July 3; deliveries will begin in mid-August. Two versions of the pick-up will be made at the plant: King Cab and Double Cab. The localisation rate, including the engine, stands at 85%.
Nissan spent 162m Thai baht on a zero discharge programme at the plant and will recycle all industrial wastewater through the reverse osmosis (RO) process.