Nissan Motor Asia Pacific (NMAP) has announced plans to expand Nissan Technical Centre South East Asia (NTCSEA), with a total investment of ¥3.4 billion (RM112.4 million). The R&D function is located in Samutprakarn, Bangkok, next to the company’s manufacturing plants.
The expansion will involve the addition of a test course, several testing facilities including chassis and engine dynamometers, and a new management office by the middle of next year. Workforce is set to more than triple to 370 by 2016, including an increase at NTCSEA’s Indonesian branch.
By 2015, NTCSEA will take care of all R&D processes for ASEAN market models following the vehicle engineering design stage currently handled by the global R&D function in Japan. This will allow NTCSEA to better and more quickly reflect specific customer preferences in the region.
“Strengthening the regional R&D function will enhance product attractiveness, competitiveness and quality,” said Nissan Executive VP Mitsuhiko Yamashita. “As Nissan’s footprint continues to expand in the region, it is even more important to strengthen our local R&D capabilities to better serve the growing customer base.”
NTCSEA is responsible for 10 countries and six production sites across the ASEAN region.
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Meh…
Proton’s R&D centre still better
Who said that we need to have our own brand to have the R&D capabilities & facilities in our country?
Well said. If we did not have the protectionist policy for Proton, these companies would be coming to Malaysia now and opening up their R&D centres here. What a wasted opportunity. Malaysians have the advantage of speaking and writing English and other Asian languages compared to the Thais and Indonesians but the foreign companies will go to them because their policies are more automotive friendly…. Sigh…
Sorry, our standard of English is very poor now.
It’s a matter of time before they overtook us, including indon, some maids are speaking in English now.
they work harder also. they only have muai thai break…malaysia one day 10 times teh tarik break.
I don’t think the existence of Proton is the problem. Proton may exist, but the policy for foreign investor should be competitive and interesting as well. Plus, the reputation of integrity of our badan kehakiman is not that good either.. making it worse.
Why must be Bangkok?? Why not in Malaysia?? Somebody is not doing their work.
Yes, amazing Thailand again. Honda, Nissan and who will be next? maybe proton?
Another bad news for Malaysia…
Yeah, congrats to Proton, AP policy, Import + Excise duty for bringing our country to today situation. We are now well behind Thai although our country are politically more stable and, less natural disaster.
Wow….all going to Thailand…one after another….
Tom yam gong still owned nasi lemak
Malaysia should have attract all auto giant here to invest… Too bad our Proton still a baby and thank to Proton, we’d lost a lot of job opportunities