Renault-Nissan Alliance rolls out one millionth vehicle in India

The Renault-Nissan Alliance crossed an important milestone at their plant in Oragadam, Chennai where the Alliance’s one millionth car was manufactured. The milestone car, a Nissan Micra, rolled off the production line yesterday, 8th January 2016. The Oragadam plant is the Alliance’s largest production facility in the world and started its operation in March 2010 with an initial investment of INR 45 billion. An additional investment of INR 16 billion has since been invested in the plant to make it a world class powertrain manufacturing facility and tooling.

So far, the plant has introduced 32 new Renault, Nissan and Datsun models and derivatives to its production line and caters to both domestic and international markets. The most recent model to be introduced at the plant was the Renault Kwid in September 2015. The Renault-Nissan Alliance is India's second largest car exporter with more than 600,000 units shipped to 106 countries since 2010. During that time, the annual production volume has increased to over 200,000 by CY 2015 March from an initial 75,000 units in the 2010 financial year.

Christian Mardrus, Chairman of Nissan's Africa, Middle East and India region, and former Alliance Executive Vice President, commented: "I congratulate our workforce in Chennai for achieving a significant landmark in the ongoing evolution of this important plant.

Mr. Mardrus further added, "Our Chennai facility has, and will continue, to play a fundamental role in the development of our business in India. Today's milestone reflects the popularity of Nissan and Renault products in India and export markets, as well as the skill and dedication of our staff. It is also a measure of the high level of support we have enjoyed from the Tamil Nadu government."

Along with the R&D centre in Chennai, the Alliance has provided around 12,000 direct jobs in Tamil Nadu, with a further 40,000 in the Indian supplier chain.

Colin MacDonald, plant Managing Director of Renault Nissan Alliance India Private Ltd (RNAIPL), commented: "This is a proud day for everyone associated with the plant. On average we have launched two new models each year across three brands since 2010. The workforce and our supplier partners deserve enormous credit for achieving this while increasing annual production volume and maintaining world class quality levels."  

Also read: Top 10 Highest Selling Cars of December 2015, Kwid Enters the List