Fresh government regulations and good growth prospect has encouraged Nissan to begin CKD operations in Myanmar. Starting with the Sunny sedan, the Nissan will be assembling the vehicle at the local partner’s Tan Chong facility in Myanmar. With this, the company expects to emerge as a strong player in the growth of automotive industry in the region.
The auto market in Myanmar is roughly estimated to sell around 1 lakh units a year, where 90 per cent of the vehicles sold are second-hand imports from Japan, while new auto amounts only to about 5,000 units a year. Reports indicate that the Tan Chong facility in Myanmar has an annual production capacity of few hundred units, but with new joint factory being set up by the end of this year, the company expects to have an annual production capacity of 10,000 units when it begins operations in 2019. Reports further indicate that investments for this purpose have reached close to $50 million.
The Myanmar government has imposed stricter norms this year on import of used cars from international markets with an aim to improve safety and attract more automotive manufacturers to the country. The vehicle will continue to be offered with 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine option that generates 97bhp and 84bhp respectively. Owing to localization, the Nissan Sunny will be competitively priced and the automaker can expect to see a decent growth in sales.
