After Nissan inaugurated its new plant in Chennai, accompanying competitors like Daimler, Ford, BMW, Hyundai and Mitsubishi, it has taken Chennai to new heights in the Indian automotive industry.

With the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi working ahead with a dream of making the city as one of the top 10 automotive centres in the world, the efforts are certainly going in the right direction.

The recently started Nissan project is expected to provide employment to 10,500 people directly and 31,000 people indirectly.

Keeping in mind that India's penetration of 12 cars per 1000 people is way too low when compared to Malaysia's 273 cars per 1,000 people, China's 128 and USA's 765, it is clear that the Indian economy has a long road to cover before it places itself on the global charts.

However, Chennai may prove to be good house for the seven out of the top 20 auto majors operating in the city but it still lacks in Vehicle testing facilities and hence the automakers need to send their vehicles to Chennai for testing.

However, the government is working on a project called National Automotive Testing Research and Development Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) which will solve this hurdle.