Mexico Courts Japanese Car Makers

      Los Angeles - It looks like Mexican President Vincente Fox's whirlwind
tour of Japan earlier this week is already bearing fruit.  Fox spent all day
Monday meeting with the country's top political and corporate power brokers
seeing the royal family, prime minister and officials at major automakers.
The president put out feelers regarding trade agreements.  Mexico has cheap labor
and abundant natural resources, but is strapped for cash.

     Apparently his message was well received.  Nissan has committed to
increase annual production at its Mexico plants to "slightly more than 400,000
units," by the end of March 2003, a Nissan spokesman said.  He added that
Nissan plans to increase production in Mexico to around 320,000-330,000 units
in the year to March 2002, from 313,000 units in the previous year. 

    "We are planning to launch 10 new models in North America by end December
2003," the spokesman said, adding that the company expects the North American
market to grow in the medium to long term. 

    Nissan plans to start production of Renault SA's small-sized cars for the
local market at its Mexican plants beginning the end of this year.  While they
haven't yet made a firm commitment, Joichi Tachikawa, a spokesman for Toyota
Motor Corp, said it is considering building a plant in Mexico.  "We are
looking at the possibilities, including production.  It has not been decided that we
will produce cars," he said.  It is rumored on Mexican radio stations that
during his meeting with Fox, Toyota's chairman Hiroshi Okuda promised to
make a "large investment" in Mexico.  Apparently President Fox can be a very
convincing man.