Nissan Motor announced it would begin vehicle assembly in Myanmar in this first quarter of 2016.
Initial production will be carried out at a plant managed by Malaysian partner Tan Chong Motor before moving to a new facility in Bago – 80km (50 miles) north of the country’s commercial capital Yangon.
Nissan originally said in 2013 it would start assembly of the Sunny in Myanmar in 2015 but preferred to wait until after the general elections which saw opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi sweep to power in elections held in November last year.
Myanmar is seen as one of the last emerging markets in Asia with significant growth potential, given the country’s huge natural resources, strategic location and a population estimated at around 55m.
Suzuki also has an assembly plant in Myanmar and Malaysia’s APM Automotive Holdings said in 2013 it would build an interior parts plant there to support the Nissan KD assembly kit operation.
