Mitsubishi, Honda follow Nano trail

Nano is paving the way for global car-makers to drive into Gujarat. After Tata Motors decided to relocate its small car project here, Japanese auto giants Honda and Mitsubishi want to park themselves in the state. Officials from both Honda and Mitsubishi met representatives of Gujarat’s delegation that visited Japan last week. Teams from both the car companies met Maheshwar Sahu, managing director of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) on November 11 and 12 in Japan. “Both Honda and Mitsubishi have shown interest in making investment in the state,” said a senior official in the chief minister’s office (CMO). A general manager from Honda and a senior executive from Mitsubishi met the 11-member Gujarat delegation comprising industrialists, representatives from Gujarat-based corporates as well as senior government officials. The delegation visited Tokyo and Seoul during their weeklong visit and met representatives of Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) for the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit — besides holding 30 oneon-one meetings in five days. State government has been hard selling Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) to auto majors. Around 40% of the corridor, which is being built in association with government of Japan, falls in Gujarat.