Nissan and its longstanding distributor Tan Chong Motor Group (TCM) had announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Da Nang City in Vietnam last week. Motorization of Vietnam is expected to double vehicle demand to 110,000 units by 2014 and the inauguration of this plant is a reminder of the expectations of the Vietnamese population.
So could the Vietnamese Sunny have roots in India?
In response to an email sent by IndianAutosBlog.com, Nissan India said this evening that key parts of the Nissan Sunny are being shipped from India to the Vietnamese assembly line that officially began rolling out vehicles on the 11th of this month.
Making an investment of USD 40 million, TCIE Vietnam Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of TCM, owns and operates the 129,500 square meter factory. The press release outlining the launch doesn't directly mention of exports from this facility, but this may eventually ensue as it states that "production will initially be dedicated to assembling Sunny for Vietnam" meaning there's something more in the future.
Tan Chong Motor Group has been the authorized distributor and after-sales service provider of Nissan vehicles for over 50 years in Singapore and Malaysia. It also distributes Nissan vehicles in Cambodia and Laos.
Over 800,000 units of the Sunny have already been sold in global markets since the launch in late 2010. The Sunny is sold as the Versa, Almera and Latio away from India. Nissan India exports the Sunny to Africa and the Middle East, while plants in Thailand and China manufacture the car mostly for their domestic demands.
