CHENNAI: Kamarajar Port in Ennore has set a new record this financial year by handling 2.12 lakh of automobile units, exported till March 16, 2017.
A spokesperson said the Port, which commenced export and import of automobiles through dedicated general cargo berth from September 2010, is expected to handle 2.25 lakh automobile units this financial year ending March 31, 2017.
“We have attained a growth of 7.02pc when compared to the previous year where we handled 1.98 automobile units,” he added.
This also comes when Nissan Motor India has achieved a the remarkable milestone for export of 7,00,000th car through General Cargo berth of Kamarajar Port during the end of the third quarter of this financial year, the spokesperson noted.
Since the commencement of automobile export, the port has handled 11 lakh units till date.
Firms like Ford, Daimler, Nissan, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Renault, Hyundai, BMW and several others have set up facilities in Chennai and Orgadam to tap the emerging Asian markets besides those in Europe and America.
According to a study, the Chennai auto component sector is likely to grow by 20 per cent annually with 30 per cent growth in exports over the next five years to become a global hub of auto component suppliers. It is not only the four wheeler industry but also the two-wheeler makers who are vying to have a presence in Orgadam.
As such, Kamarajar Port has set a target to export three lakh units of cars.
Chennai is emerging as one of the top 10 global automobile manufacturing centres and the city has an installed capacity to produce 1.3 million cars and about 3.6 lakh commercial vehicles each year. This translates into an output of three cars every minute and one commercial vehicle every 75 seconds.