Representatives of the Argentine government and Nissan executives attended a ceremony this morning to officially kick off production and present the first Nissan Frontier assembled in the country.
The ceremony was honored with the presence of the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, and other senior government officials including Juan Schiaretti, governor of Cordoba Province. Nissan was represented by the president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Hiroto Saikawa; Jose Luis Valls, chairman of Nissan Latin America; and Diego Vignati, managing director of Nissan Argentina. Luis Fernando Pelaez Gamboa, president of Renault Argentina, also attended.
During the ceremony, Saikawa highlighted the importance of Latin America in accomplishing the company’s midterm plan, Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, which aims to achieve sustainable growth worldwide.
“Three years ago, Nissan decided to bet strongly on Argentina,” said Valls. “We announced the arrival of Nissan to the country as a subsidiary and OEM, confirming a big investment that supports our plan to become one of the top automotive brands in the region. Today, we are honoring that commitment and celebrating the start of production of the Nissan Frontier. Today, we are delivering on our promise to Argentina.”
The manufacturing project in Cordoba is the result of a $600 million investment to build a new, modern pickup assembly line as well as a test track specifically designed for pickup trucks. The project will generate about 1,000 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs. Nissan will also work with local suppliers to create synergies that will be further amplified in the future to increase collaboration with local vendors.
With the start of production in Cordoba, Nissan Argentina joins the Nissan Frontier global manufacturing network, alongside Thailand, China, Mexico and Spain, and consolidates its position as a key vehicle manufacturer in Argentina.
The new assembly line will have the capacity to produce 70,000 vehicles a year for Alliance partners Nissan and Renault – as well as Daimler – with 50 percent destined for export. Brazil will be the first country to import the Argentina-made Nissan Frontier.
