Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Limited (RNAIPL) today hosted the ground breaking ceremony for its new passenger vehicle plant in Chennai, India, expected to begin operations in 2010. The facility will have an annual production capacity of 400,000 and will produce vehicles for export and the local market for both Renault and Nissan.

A 50:50 joint venture between Renault and Nissan to manufacture passenger vehicles, RNAIPL represents an investment of a minimum of Rs 4,500 crore (€780 million / U.S. $1.1 billion).

“This is an important day in Chennai for Renault, Nissan, our local employees and the community,” said Shohei Kimura, managing director of RNAIPL. “The new project is a very tangible result of the strength and success of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, and is a clear indicator of RNAIPL’s long-term strategy for this important market.”

Renault plans to produce several cars on the Logan platform and on other platforms as well. Building on the success of Logan, Renault is currently developing a product range to best match Indian customers’ needs, tastes and dreams.

Nissan will produce a family of models based on its new A-platform, including the next generation of Micra. India is one of the five leading competitive countries (LCCs) to produce the new A-platform models. The development of a competitive A-platform is one of several business breakthroughs announced as part of Nissan GT 2012, the company’s new five-year business plan.