Thai-made car bound for Japan

• Source: Shanghai Daily
• [08:43 July 14 2010]
• Comments

Nissan Chief operating officer (COO) Toshiyuki Shiga introduces the company's new March, a compact hatchback vehicle at its headquarters in Yokohama, Japan on July 13, 2010. The new March is the fourth generation of this popular series with increase drivability and driving pleasure and best-in-class fuel economy of 26.0km/L. Photo: AFP

Nissan took the wraps off its new March subcompact yesterday, which is being manufactured in Thailand for sale in Japan, underlining a trend for Japanese car makers to shift more production abroad.

Nissan Motor Co said it was setting up a special inspection facility at its Oppama plant in Japan, which used to make the model, to do additional quality checks on the Thai-made March to ensure it satisfies finicky Japanese customers.

"We are not hiding that this was made in Thailand," Nissan Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga said. "It is important to deliver value to customers wherever we make our products."

The March, previously made in Great Britain, will now also be made in China and India, where it will be exported to more than 100 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The model, called the Micra in Europe, India and Australia, will also be made in Mexico.

As home to top auto makers including Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co, Japan has long been a market where local manufacturers reign supreme. Imports make up just 5 percent of the Japanese market, mostly European luxury brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

But with labor costs rising in Japan and the yen strong, makers are looking at manufacturing more vehicles abroad.