BANGKOK, Aug. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan Motor Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. today announced the opening of a new test track in Thailand, Nissan's first overseas R&D vehicle test facility in the ASEAN region as well as the inauguration of a new office building for Nissan Technical Center South East Asia (NTCSEA). With a total investment of 3.4 billion yen (approximately 1.1 billion baht), the expansion of NTCSEA will further strengthen Nissan's capabilities in R&D in the region, a key element of Nissan's growth strategy.
"The expansion of NTCSEA marks an important step in solidifying the foundation for Nissan's growth objectives outlined in its mid-term business plan," said Atsushi Shizuta, senior vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. "As a regional R&D hub in Thailand, NTCSEA will enhance product attractiveness, competitiveness and quality."
NTCSEA's regional scope covers ten countries and six production sites across the ASEAN region. By 2015, NTCSEA will assume responsibility for all R&D processes following the vehicle physical design stage for models marketed in the ASEAN region. To date, these processes have been handled by the global R&D function in Japan. Also, between 2010 and 2016, NTCSEA will more than triple its workforce to 370. This expansion allows NTCSEA to better reflect the specific preferences of customers in the ASEAN region, enabling quicker alignment with market requirements, leading to the continued development of innovative and competitive Nissan products.
The new 60,000 square meters test track, located on Bangna-Trad Road at KM22, is the third Nissan R&D test facility outside of Japan and the first in Asia, following the Arizona Test Center in the United States and the Aguascalientes Test Track in Mexico. The NTCSEA Test Track features a total of 14 global road conditions and surfaces, including five distinctly reflecting Thailand, such as the Bangna-Trad wavy road and Bang Kavi Road. Additionally, it can accommodate a maximum speed of 120 km/hour in straight line while various tests can be performed at the 100m diameter multi-purpose pad.
The new office building will also be the new home for the region's Monozukuri team, the professionals responsible for creative design and manufacturing, and was designed with the environment in mind. "As one of the world's leading automakers, Nissan has a responsibility to help build a sustainable society. The new office building features eco-friendly functions which are able to reduce CO2 emission by more than 40 percent, thus reducing our overall corporate carbon footprint," said Shizuta.
Note: Amounts of yen are translated for the convenience of the reader at foreign exchange rates of 0.32 baht/yen.
