Nissan will produce engines in the factory on the river

By far it is possible to see. In bold letters, the six characters in the trademark red, posted recently on an administrative building, call the attention of who travels by rodovia Presidente Dutra and indicate that there is emerging a factory of Japanese automaker Nissan.
On administrative headquarters, the first employees start coming today. Already on the Assembly line, approximately 1.5 thousand workers are being trained to assemble the cars that will be made on site-first the March hatchback and Versa Sedan, too.
Although the company avoid disclosing a date, stating that the inauguration will happen this semester, not long before the plant goes into operation. Yesterday, the Brazilian Carlos Ghosn, World President, made the first visit to the site and took the opportunity to announce that the automaker will also produce engines in the industrial park that is building in Resende, in the South of Rio de Janeiro.
The propellants factory building, just like other sectors-painting, stamping and welding-was erected next to the Assembly line of vehicles. Nissan will shell out $ 140 million to produce engines in Brazil, the amount included in the package of r $ 2.6 billion in investments in Resende.
If the car factory aims to transform Nissan on the main Asian brand in the Brazilian market, reaching, until 2016, 5% share in sales of cars, the engine line meets the growing demands of nationalization levied by the federal Government in the new automotive system.
The program, known as Innovate-Auto, hitch the discounts in the tax on industrialized products (IPI) for the use of local auto parts in the production of automobiles. Therefore, other manufacturers such as the Japanese Toyota and also Chinese Chery, also decided to combine the production of new models with investments in local production of engines, which have significant weight in the price of automobiles.
The line from Nissan will be able to produce 200 thousand engines per year, enough to supply the entire car production capacity. The expectation is that the propellers begin to be produced this year, possibly along with the inauguration of the factory.
In Resende, 1.6 bi-fuel engines will be produced (flex), with 111 horsepower. The generation of jobs, just in this sector is estimated at 200 workers. 1.0 brand engines will continue to be produced at the plant shared with partner Renault in São José dos Pinhais, Paraná.
In an interview, Ghosn said that half of the components of the engines will be the national from the first year of production. The idea, he said, is to raise this index gradually. Despite the 1.6% drop in sales of cars in Brazil in 2013 and negative analyses about a possible overcapacity in the industry after the start of new factories, the Executive pointed out that the trend towards the Brazilian market follows positive in the long term and not regret investing in the country.
"When we made the decision to invest in Brazil had no idea that the country would have a linear growth," he said. Asked whether the brand would, at this point, perform the same investment announced a little more than two years-when the market lived a period of Bonanza-, the Executive was emphatic in saying "Yes".
"When we decided to invest in some country, we do not take into account what's going to happen in the next two or three years, but, Yes, a 20-year horizon. I have no doubt that the Brazilian market will evolve, "said Ghosn, justifying the optimism at the relatively low rate of motorization-i.e. the proportion of vehicles per km-in Brazil.
The presence of the vehicles in the Brazilian population is less than, for example, to that of countries like Mexico and Argentina. Therefore, this data is often used by businessmen and analysts to indicate the potential for sales growth in the Brazilian market, which is already the fourth largest in the world.
Ghosn said the automaker has not yet consolidated forecasts for car sales in Brazil in 2014, but contrary to popular belief, many analysts said that the trend is of a moderate growth of the market.
According to him, the Renault-Nissan alliance must achieve in this or next year the mark of 10% of the sales of cars in Brazil. After that, Ghosn said, the goal is a 15% share of the Brazilian market.
"Our first goal was to move from 10%. We should get that in 2014 or 2015. From then on, the objective will be to reach 15%, "he said, without having to in how long the automaker hopes to achieve that mark. Until 2016, the goals already announced separately by Renault and Nissan design a joint participation of 13%. Renault aims to 8% of sales, while the Japanese partner Nissan wants 5%.
Last year, the two accounted for 8.8% of passenger cars and light utility vehicles licensed in Brazil, even after Ford, fourth placed with 9.4%.