Nissan Motor Asia Pacific has expanded the Nissan Technical Centre South East Asia (NTCSEA) in Bangkok to include a new test track and a new office building. The test track is Nissan’s third R&D vehicle testing facility outside Japan, and the first in the ASEAN region.
Taking up an area of 60,000 square metres in the province of Samutprakarn, (next to the company’s manufacturing plants), the track features a total of 14 global road conditions and surfaces. It can accommodate a maximum speed of 120 km/h in a straight line, while various tests can be performed at the multi-purpose pad, which measures 100 metres in diameter.
The new office building will be the new home for the region’s Monozukuri team – the people responsible for creative design and manufacturing – and was designed with eco-friendly functions that cut CO2 emissions by more than 40%. This in turn reduces the carmaker’s overall corporate carbon footprint.
With a total investment of ¥3.4 billion (RM114 million), the expansion of NTCSEA will allow it to serve the specific preferences of ASEAN customers better by enabling quicker alignment with market requirements.
“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.”
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). NTCSEA is responsible for 10 countries and six production sites across the ASEAN region.
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