Nissan has just completed the Bt20bn (US$600m) investment programme it had originally announced in 2005 to expand production capacity at its Siam Nissan Automobile Assembly Co Ltd joint venture in Thailand to 140,000 vehicles per year.
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The company said it has overhauled the plant’s entire production system, allowing it to join its Japanese peers in exporting pickup trucks to world markets from Thailand. Mitsubishi Motors was the first company to locate its global one-tonne pickup truck operations to Thailand seven years ago, followed by Ford-Mazda, Toyota and Isuzu.
Siam Nissan can now produce around 90,000 Frontier Navara pickup trucks per year and is projected to sell around 35,000-40,000 units domestically this year. The company can produce a further 50,000 passenger cars at the plant, including the Tiida and Teana models.
Frontier production will be lifted in the second half of the current fiscal year (to March 2008) to include 20,000 Frontier Navara models for export to up to 120 markets worldwide, including to other Asian markets, Latin America and Africa. By 2010, exports are expected to rise to 45,000 units per year.
Separately, General Motors announced it will produce the Captiva SUV in Thailand for export to other markets in the region, including Australia and New Zealand, as its South Korean unit GM-Daewoo Automotive Technology (GMDAT) struggles to keep up with global demand for the vehicle.
General Motors said the transfer of production is temporary, while it expands capacity at the former Daewoo plant in South Korea. The Rayong plant also assembles the Aveo, Optra and Estate models as well as the Colorado one-ton pickup truck.
The Captiva was originally launched in Australia and New Zealand last year, where it has proved to be very popular. It was also launched in several ASEAN markets, including Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, earlier this year.
Tony Pugliese
