Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said Chennai is emerging as the Asia’s automobile capital and promised to make it as one of the top ten centres for automobile manufacturing in the world.

Inaugurating the Nissan India Car Plant at Oragadam near here, he said with the establishment of the car project, which is a joint venture between the French auto major Renault and Japan auto major Nissan, Chennai had become the home of seven auto majors out of top 20 global automobile manufacturers, adding to the existing facilities by Daimler, Ford, BMW, Hyundai and Mitsubishi.

‘Today, Chennai is emerging as Asia’s automobile capital. Establishment of these automobile projects in Chennai bears ample testimony to the favourable investment climate prevailing in Tamilnadu’, he said, adding, with its investor-friendly policies, Tamilnadu has been a forerunner in attracting a large number of domestic and foreign investors.

Quoting Oxford Analytica, an international independent consulting firm, he said Tamilnadu was ranked as the most attractive investment destination among 28 States and two Union Territories.

During the last three and half years and despite the recent economic downturn, several industrialists have constantly come forward to make investments in Tamilnadu.

Karunanidhi said his government had signed 25 MoUs and issued orders for another 12 industries since May 2006. ‘Total investments in these 37 industries will be about Rs 46,091 crores and they will create employment potential for 2.22 lakh people directly and indirectly.’

He said despite, Chennai emerging as the largest automobile hub f India, it was lacking vehicle testing facilities, forcing the auto manufacturers to send their vehicles to Pune for testing and certification.

Thanks to the initiative of the DMK government, the Centre was implementing the National Automotive Testing Research and Development Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) at Oragadam near the city at a cost of about Rs 450 crore and the State had allotted 300 acres land for it.

‘This project aims at facilitating introduction of world-class automotive safety, emission and performance standards in India and also ensuring seamless integration of our automotive industry with the global industry’, he added.

The Chief Minister said considering the multiplier-benefit arising out of automobile projects, the DMK government would continue to attract more automobile projects in the State to realise his dream of making Chennai as one of the top Ten centres for automobile manufacturing in the world.

Former Prime Minister of Japan Yoshiro Mori, Tamilnadu Labour Welfare Minister T M Anbarasan, French Ambassador to India Jérôme Bonnafont, Ambassador of Japan to India Hideaki Domichi, president and CEO, Renault-Nissan Carlos Goshn, president and managing director Akira Sakurai, Renault-Nissan Automotive India Ltd., deputy managing director Marc Nassif and others took part.