Toyota Kirloskar to export cars from Ennore port

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd (TKM) will use the Ennore port for exporting its cars even as it will continue to use the Chennai port to export components, according to its Deputy Managing Director (Commercial), Mr Shekar Viswanathan. “We are in discussion with Ennore Port Ltd on this. While the focus is currently only on the domestic sector, we need to plan for exports from next year,” he told newspersons.

The car maker was also open to sharing some of the common infrastructure facilities such as car washing with its Japanese competitor Nissan, which plans to export its car from the Ennore port, he said after TKM showcased a concept of the Toyota Etios, the compact car in India.

Like Toyota, Nissan Motor India, which will begin producing cars at its greenfield facility near Chennai from May, will use the Chennai Port for exporting components.

The company plans to export $ 20 million of components in 2010, going up to $40 million in 2012. Nissan plans to begin exporting its small car Micra from September.

Since the export volume will not be high to begin with, TKM (a joint venture between Toyota and Kirloskar) will not require large infrastructure. However, discussions are on with the Ennore Port on identifying land, he said without divulging the export plans. “We are only in the logistics planning stage for exports,” he said.

TKM's Managing Director, Mr Hiroshi Nakagawa, said the company's production capacity at Bidadi, near Bengaluru, will nearly double in the next two years. The plant is producing nearly 80,000 vehicles such as Corolla Altis, Innova and Land Cruiser. It will produce another 70,000 of Etios annually, he said.

The production of Etios will start from this year-end mainly for the domestic market, he said.

Source: Indiacar.com Source : Business Line (Online Edition) (3/28/2010)