Japanese automaker Nissan India is expanding to third shift and hiring more than 1,000 people in its plant to reduce the waiting period for Magnite to two to three months, the company said.
The compact SUV Nissan Magnite is termed the most successful product launched by the company so far, as it has recorded 32,800-plus bookings and 1,80,000-plus enquiries since its launch on December 2, 2020.
The company plans to start a third shift at its Chennai plant to increase output of Magnite to around 3,500-4,000 units per month by February from the current level of about 2,500 units per month.
Ashwani Gupta, COO, Nissan Motor Company, said, “We are happy to reinforce our industrial strategy with a third shift to meet the increasing customer demand. We hope to continue our contribution to the manufacturing and industrial sector in the country and help create more job opportunities during this uncertain period.”
“Our endeavour is to enhance our customers’ satisfaction through a shorter waiting period of two to three months. This requires additional employment to increase production and delivery capacity. We are hiring more than 1,000 people in our plant, and we have already reinforced our dealer network," said Sinan Ozkok, president, Nissan Motor India.
To keep the excitement alive among customers, the company will continue to offer Magnite at the introductory price of all its variants.
“Nissan India has reached a colossal milestone with the launch of the all-new Nissan Magnite. Customers have given their overwhelming response with a record level of bookings, and as the token of our appreciation, we would like to continue the special introductory price till further notice,” Rakesh Srivastava, managing director, Nissan Motor India, added.
Another 500 workforce would also be added at the company's dealerships to enhance customer experience, he added.
The company's plan is in contrast to its announcement in 2019 to cut over 1,700 jobs in India, mostly in manufacturing operations, as part of a global exercise to reduce headcount by over 6,000 across different locations.
Srivastava said, "Nissan India currently produces around 2,500 Magnite units per month which would go up to 3,500 to 4,000 units after the third shift comes into play."
