Auto terminal at Mundra for Maruti, Nissan

Nano is having a snowballing effect for Gujarat’s dream of becoming an auto hub. Close on the heels of news that global auto giants like Honda and Mitsubishi are showing interest in Gujarat, the state’s coastline is now luring car-makers to export cars to the world. Maruti Suzuki, which plans to export its premium hatchback car A-Star to European markets from Mundra, may use the same port for exporting Kizashi, the stylist sedan which is likely to be rolled out in India next year. Adani-run Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Limited (MPSEZ) signed a MoU for setting up a world class dedicated automobile terminal with Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) of Japan, a global auto terminal operator, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines (WWL) of Norway which operates its own terminals in Europe, United States and Asia. Maruti Suzuki and Nissan will start exporting their cars to Europe from Mundra Port in January 2009, said Adani officials. “They will be using the port facility which can handle 2,00,000 cars per annum before the new dedicated auto terminal is ready,” said an Adani official. Initially, Maruti Suzuki plans to export 1,00,000 units to Europe from Mundra. “While we will continue using Nhava Sheva terminal, we are looking at exporting 2,00,000 units by 2010 from Mundra. Apart from A-Star, we may also export some of the yet-to-be launched models,” said a Maruti Suzuki official. Sources say Mundra may have a capacity of handling around 5 lakh cars over the next few years. “We believe that building this terminal in Mundra will help make India a global player in automotive logistics,” said Koji Shinozaki, deputy general manager, NYK Japan.