New Delhi: Japanese auto major Nissan announced Thursday plans to hire 1,500 people in India to strengthen R&D and global digital hub while also stating that it would go for "voluntary separation" at its Chennai manufacturing unit.
The company, which is seeking to revive its presence in India, said it would go for separate dealerships for Nissan and Datsun brands especially in smaller towns in the country.
As part of a new strategy, the company is positioning the Nissan at the upper end building on the brand's global SUV heritage while the Datsun brand will address the mass market segment, Nissan Chairman for Africa, Middle East and India Peyman Kargar said. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of annual convention of SIAM, he said Nissan will also bring new products to India starting with the Kicks SUV in 2019.
The company already employs around 7,000 people at its R&D centre near Chennai doing development work for vehicles in India and handling engineering activities for its alliance with Renault. When asked if sales network for Nissan and Datsun would be separated, Kargar said in Tier III and Tier IV areas, it would be to offer differentiation of the brands.