Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) completed its fifth anniversary of the BharatBenz trucks in the country. Commemorating the occasion, the automaker expanded its product portfolio with the launch of India's first ever Euro V compliant truck. The medium duty Euro V truck is already on sale and is intended to offer a cleaner and more environment friendly alternative over the BS-IV versions that were introduced earlier this year. The company also said that the model is targeted at urban mobility transportation, where air pollution is higher and needs to be curbed.
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Speaking at the launch, Bharat Benz - Managing Director, Erich Nesselhauf said that the new Euro V compliant trucks produce 40 per cent lesser NOx (Nitrogen Dioxide) than the BS-IV vehicles and are called the cleanest city trucks by the manufacturer. The new medium-duty trucks are for intra-city transport and Daimler says the new Euro V trucks will help reduce emissions within the city. The medium-duty trucks are in the range from 9 tonne to 12 tonnes.
In terms of pricing, Bharat Benz says the Euro V trucks carry the same pricing as the BS-IV versions. The company updated the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) to achieve Euro V emissions. The trucks are compatible with lower fuel quality as well, the manufacturer says.
Nesselhauf says the company wants to offer technology to fleet owners over and above the current norms and regulations. It believes in addressing the needs of the coming generation of transportation users that will benefit from the cleaner trucks. Bharat Benz also stated that the new trucks return the same fuel efficiency figures as the BS-IV vehicles.
Bharat Benz made its foray into the Indian market since September 2012 and has seen sustained growth over the past years. The company has delivered a total of 55,000 trucks since beginning of operations, while Daimler's Chennai plant also exports Mercedes-Benz, Bharat Benz and Fuso branded trucks to several markets. In fact, the Indian plant exports to over 38 countries including the Middle East, South East Asia, Latin America, New Zealand among others. The manufacturer will expand its base to over 40 markets by the end of this year.
Speaking on the growth of Bharat Benz, Marc Llistosella, Head of Daimler Trucks Asia said, “Our strategic aim was to give Daimler Trucks a strong footprint in India with its immense growth potentials. In just five years, we have firmly established BharatBenz as an aspirational brand in the world’s toughest commercial vehicle market. We thank our loyal customers and partners for making this unprecedented ramp-up happen with us.”
Nesselhauf added, “We continue on our sustainable growth track with BharatBenz. Customer demand has been particularly strong in the 16-49 tonnes segment, further extending our position as the clear number three in heavy-duty trucks. We have thus taken the next step and moved to two-shift operations at our manufacturing plant.”
Given the growth, Daimler's Oragadam plant near Chennai has seen the addition of a second shift that will help increase output. The additional production is expected to cater to the company's export business as well. The German CV giant has exported over 10,000 trucks since 2013 from India.
