Yoshie Yamazaki, a company spokesman, stated that operations in Giza, south Cairo, will not resume for at least a week. The plant currently produces around 10,000 units a year, mainly X-Trail sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Nissan has four Japanese employees in Egypt, and the company has directed them to stay at hotels outside Cairo for their safety.
According to a Yahoo! Finance article, Toyota also plans to start assembly there from early next year. A total of about 3,000 SUVs are to be assembled in the country, in which about 15,000 Toyotas were sold last year. "The company is halting any business trips to Egypt for now," said spokesman Paul Nolasco, adding there is no impact yet from the political unrest on the auto giant’s production plans.
Six days ago, anti-government protests erupted against President Hosni Mubarak’s rule that has lasted for three decades. The turmoil has resulted in at least 125 people dead. The government has even gone as far as to shut down all Internet access and text messaging service to try and prevent people from finding out about the protests.
The unrest follows an uprising in Tunisia two weeks ago, in which President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled after 23 years in power. After Friday’s prayers ended, thousands of people joined protests in Cairo and other cities to demand the end of Mr Mubarak's rule.
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