The use of globally competitive countries, otherwise known as leading competitive country (“LCC”) at Nissan, are promoted at Nissan, as they are excellent in both pricing and service.
Mexico is an important LCC for Nissan, as it is a production base for both the American and European markets. I recently visited Nissan Mexicana's headquarters (“Nissan Mexicana HQ”) and the Aguascalientes plant.
Part 1. Mexico City
When I traveled by car from my hotel in Mexico City to the airport and Nissan Mexicana HQ, I noticed that the transportation conditions in Mexico differed from Japan.
1. Transportation conditions
- Morning traffic in Mexico City-
Throughout the day, the roads were always crowded due to undeveloped expressways and fewer means of public transportation, such as railroads.
In addition, when I departed for the airport for my flight to Aguascalientes, I left the hotel two and a half hours before the flight, in order to accommodate for the traffic. In contrast, it was only a 40-minute drive from the hotel to the airport, when traffic was light. According to our guide, this is considered normal for Mexico City to allow such time.
- Tope on the road -
The roads in Mexico City have speed bumps known as ''Topes''. A Tope is large enough to result in a strong impact and make cars bounce, unless they slow down considerably. Despite the size, there is no way to notice Topes, aside from signs (there may not be any) or markings (faded as shown in the photo). Given the these conditions, it seemed difficult to drive in this country.
3. Motorbikes and bicycles
Although the roads were crowded with vehicles, there were few people riding motorbikes or bicycles. According to the guide, there were two reasons for this. One reason is that it's dangerous to ride motorbikes, since some people don't signal on crowded roads. The other reason was there is a high chance of theft when parking outside.