Nissan all-new Navara production project, South Africa

10th July 2020

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Name of the Project
Nissan all-new Navara production project.

Location
Rosslyn, Pretoria, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Nissan South Africa.

Project Description
Nissan is preparing its Rosslyn facility to produce the next-generation Nissan Navara pickup, including the single-cab, double-cab and cab-and-a-half variants of the model.

The Navara will join the NP200 and NP300 models, which are built at Rosslyn, and sold in the domestic market and up to 45 Pan-African countries.

The investment in Navara production will result in further modernisation of the Rosslyn plant, including a new, flexible production line and additional facilities.

Depending on market conditions, it is expected that Navara’s arrival will add 30 000 units to Rosslyn’s current production volume of 35 000 a year, creating the need for a (new,) second shift at the plant.

Potential Job Creation
The project will train and upskill staff, and create about 1 200 new jobs directly at the facility and across the local supply chain.

Capital Expenditure
R3-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Production is expected to start in 2020.

Latest Developments
The start of assembly of the one-ton Navara pickup has been postponed from November this year to early next year, Nissan Group of Africa MD Shinkichi Izumi has said.

“Covid-19 has caused a slight delay in the start of production.”

Izumi has said that exports are “very important” for Nissan SA to increase its yearly production volumes.

“We are going to top up locally produced numbers with the Navara and then also look at export expansion.

“Our view is that after Covid-19 normalises, and based on demand and opportunities on the continent [Africa] and other destinations, we will increase volume.”

The local arm of the Japanese manufacturer has in recent years fallen short of the 50 000-unit-a-year threshold to take full advantage of government incentives under the Automotive Production and Development Programme.

In 2019 the company produced 31 000 units, including exports. Models currently assembled include the NP200 half-ton bakkie and NP300 one-ton bakkie.

Over the past number of years, production volumes have consistently been between 35 000 and 40 000 units a year, Izumi has said.

Nissan Africa, Middle East and India management committee chairperson Guillaume Cartier has described the new Navara as “very important” to the broader Nissan group.

He said that Nissan has to be “extremely competitive in terms of cost” in not only South Africa but also elsewhere in the world. The question is, however, how to use the Navara platform in South Africa competitively.

Cartier has added that Nissan wants to continue manufacture the 0.5 t pickup – the NP200 – in South Africa.

Izumi has said that Nissan Africa is considering establishing assembly operations in Kenya and Ghana, adding to the ones in South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria.

This will, however, depend on how these two countries develop and refine their automotive policies. 

Izumi has noted that eight new vehicle models, with a strong focus on bakkies and sports-utility vehicles (SUVs), will be launched in the Southern Africa region over the next two years.

SUV introductions will include a C-segment and B-segment crossover, as well as a body-on-frame SUV.,

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Nissan South Africa corporate affairs director Wonga Mesatywa, tel +27 12 529 6632 or email wongam@nissan.co.za.

 

 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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