Mitsubishi Motors is unlikely to produce pickup trucks for Nissan at its factory in Thailand due to a lack of available capacity, a senior executive at the company told local reporters.
The two companies agreed to collaborate on a number of projects late last year, including Mitsubishi assembling Nissan’s Navara pickup truck at its Laem Chabang plant near Bangkok. Nissan is struggling with a lack of capacity following the launch of the March/Micra last year.
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But Mitsubishi too is facing capacity limitations in Thailand as a result of last year’s sharp rebound in domestic and overseas sales. Its Thai output is estimated to have reached 190,000 units in 2010, while capacity at its two existing plants combined is 200,000 units per year.
Mitsubishi is currently building a new plant in Laem Chabang next to its existing facilities, but this is not scheduled to go into production in 2012 and has been designated to produce small passenger cars only.
Nissan has ruled out raising capacity in Thailand in the near future from the current 200,000 units per year, as it would require significant investment in a new facility. The company produced 210,000 units last year, with overtime.
