Daimler India will launch ten new trucks

DICV plans to introduce ten new BharatBenz trucks in GVW categories where the brand has not previously been present. A modern truck in a 38- tonnes category, would be introduced.

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), which is celebrating 10 years of selling BharatBenz trucks and buses in India, have a major product strategy with a plan to roll out 10 new trucks in the Indian CV market. The previous ten years were spent laying a solid foundation for the brand and it has successfully created a performing business in an evolving market.

BharatBenz brand was launched in Feb 2011 in India. The company began its commercial vehicle journey in September 2012 with the new three BharatBenz heavy-duty trucks produced at its truck and bus manufacturing plant near Chennai. Since then, the company has sold over 1.4 lakh BharatBenz brand trucks and buses in India and exported over 60,000 India-built trucks to approximately 60 countries. However, with annual volumes of around 15,000 units, the company's market share in the Indian CV market remains in the single digits.

DICV plans to introduce ten new BharatBenz trucks in GVW categories where the brand has not previously been present. A modern truck in a category of 38- tonnes, would be introduced.

When discussing the shift toward electrification and alternative fuel segments, Mr Daum stated that the company would continue to invest in diesel powertrains because diesel has a 10 to 15-year life cycle.

The Director & CEO of DICV believed that zero-emission meant a complete overhaul of the energy ecosystem. The use of coal as an energy source is not the best solution. Furthermore, natural gas is not a focus because it emits the same amount of CO2 as diesel and is not a reliable solution for zero-emission goals.

Also Read - Daimler truck plans to shift directly to hydrogen and electric vehicle from diesel

Daimler Group is pursuing zero-emission goals globally through a three-pronged strategy. For starters, it will continue to invest in diesel engines because they still have life. The second focus area is battery electric vehicles, which would be costly. The third focus area is the development of trucks powered by hydrogen-based fuel cells. However, India is unlikely to see electric vehicles until the infrastructure is in place.

Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG, who was in Chennai with his senior management to commemorate the tenth anniversary of BharatBenz, stated that DICV's journey exceeded the group's expectations in many ways, including the establishment of a strong team and technical expertise, as well as the emergence of Indian manufacturing operations as a strong export hub.

"However, DICV could have grown much faster if the Indian market had been modernized much sooner. We anticipated much faster growth in the market for sophisticated trucks. But it didn't work. We have seen very slow growth in the sophisticated truck space, where BharatBenz dominated," he added.

Satyakam Arya, Managing Director & CEO of DICV, stated that BharatBenz would pick and choose which categories it would participate in. In certain segments and geographies, BharatBenz has gained market share.

About BharatBenz

BharatBenz is the most recent addition to the Daimler Truck commercial vehicle family. The Indian market was the target market. BharatBenz manufactures ultramodern trucks ranging in weight from 10 to 55 tonnes. All vehicles are manufactured in India, with components and parts sourced from Indian vendors. The BharatBenz models are specifically designed for the subcontinent's market and meet a wide range of transportation and construction requirements. They are perfectly suited to India's climatic and economic conditions.

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