Renault and Nissan have announced a new long-term vision for India, increasing production and R&D activities, introducing electric vehicles, and transitioning to carbon-neutral manufacturing.
From their base in Chennai, the companies will collaborate on six new production vehicles for domestic and international customers, including two new fully electric vehicles, uplifting the Renault-Nissan centre into an international export hub.
An initial investment of around $600m is planned to support the new projects, which will see up to 2,000 additional new jobs created at the Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre in Chennai. At the same time, the RNAIPL factory will become carbon-neutral with a significant increase in renewable energy generation.
Following last week’s announcement of new high-value-creation operational projects for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the future of Renault and Nissan’s Indian operations was outlined today at an official ceremony in Chennai by Nissan’s Director, Chief Operating Officer, Ashwani Gupta, alongside officials from the Tamil Nadu Government.
Guillaume Cartier, Chairperson for Nissan’s Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania region, said: “Renault and Nissan are fully committed to the Indian market, committed to electrifying the Indian market, and committed to minimising our impact on the environment.”
“India was the first Alliance plant and India will be at the centre of this new chapter of the Alliance, with new vehicles, new R&D activities, and new export markets taking our joint operations to the next level. For the first time, the Nissan line-up in India will reflect our global power in high-quality SUVs and EVs, bringing greater value to our employees, customers, and communities”, Guillaume Cartier added.
François Provost, International Development & Partnerships Renault Group and Managing Director of Alliance Purchasing Organization, said: “India is a key market for Renault Group. Over the past 14 years, we have been developing the Renault Brand with our teams and dealers, up to reaching 100 thousand vehicles sold per year.”
“India has also a key role in our R&D worldwide footprint. This project together with Nissan is the first concrete output of the new Alliance ambition released on February 6th”, François Provost added.
Mr. S Krishnan, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu, said: “The Renault-Nissan Alliance in Tamil Nadu has had manufacturing and design facilities operating in the State for more than 15 years now.”
“This is a very valuable and important relationship for the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Alliance. It employs about 15,000 people directly in the State and has been one of the mainstays in ensuring that Tamil Nadu remains the automotive capital of India and an important hub for the manufacture of automobiles and auto components and automobile design as well”, Mr. S Krishnan added.
Mr. S Krishnan further said, “We are very excited about this new proposal of modernization and fresh investment by the Renault-Nissan Alliance in Tamil Nadu. This genuinely brings to life ‘Make in Tamil Nadu and Make in India for the World. “
