Nissan Motor India signs 10-year pact with Ennore Port

Chennai, July 22, 2013: Nissan Motor India has signed a 10-year agreement with Chennai’s Ennore Port to facilitate easier export of its cars. According to the new agreement, Nissan can enjoy concessions in wharfage charges, free parking space for the first 15 days and priority in handling of automobile units in the port.

The agreement is valid for a period of 10 years and will be cancelled if either Nissan Motor India or Renault India are found to be exporting from any seaport in the country other than the Ennore or Chennai ports. Nissan Motor India also stood as a representative of its alliance partner Renault India for the agreement.

Since production began at the Renault-Nissan Alliance plant late in 2010, Nissan Motor India has exported close to 250,000 lakh cars in two years and nine months. “This agreement means that we will have to export a minimum of 60,000 cars each year. Even though we’ve exported more each year since start of production, we are comfortable with that number,” said Kenichiro Yomura, managing director and CEO of Nissan Motor India. “We are confident of meeting these targets for our export markets while also increasing our domestic market share to 10 percent in the near future,” he added.

Early in 2008, Nissan Motor India had signed a MoU with Ennore Port to export its vehicles. With the MoU, Nissan Motor India became the first car manufacturer to export out of Ennore Port.

KARTHIK H