Isuzu Motors to shift production plant from Chennai to Andhra Pradesh

Isuzu Motor India Pvt Ltd. is a subsidiary of Isuzu Motors Limited, Japan, which manufactures commercial and Sports Utility Vehicles in India. Isuzu Motors has decided to shift its complete production setup from Hindustan Motor Plant in Thiruvallur, Chennai to a wide-spread 107 acre area in Sri City in the Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. The manufacturer has invested Rs 3,000 crore for the new plant. Isuzu plans to commence the assembly of vehicles from April, 2016.

Commenting on the shift of plant location, Shankar Srinivas, Senior General Manager, communications at Isuzu, said "We are entering into Phase-2 of our production which will begin at our new plant in Sri City in Andhra Pradesh. We already have enough inventory with us to sustain the numbers till the new plant comes up. That is why there has been no production at the Hindustan Motor plant."

Initially the manufacturer expects to manufacture 50,000 units yearly which can be further expanded to 1.2 lakh units at the new plant in the future. Currently the manufacturer has stopped production at the Hindustan Motors Ltd (HML) plant where assembly of the MU-7 and D-Max were carried out via CKD-route. The new plant is expected to open around 3000 job opportunities in the district. With a proposed span of 3 years, Isuzu Motors India plans to achieve 100 per cent localisation once the new production plant has been setup.

Meanwhile, it has been learned that Isuzu Motors India will be showcasing a vehicle sold internationally at the upcoming 2016 Auto Expo. This new product is expected to come to Indian shores soon and will be manufactured at the new plant. We expect Isuzu to either showcase the MU-X SUV or the Panther an MUV which are presently sold in the international market.