BharatBenz Unveiling Hyderabad

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles unveiled the first light to heavy duty BharatBenz trucks weighing 9 to 49 tonnes GVW. The first of these trucks will be launched in the third quarter of this year, and the entire range will be launched by 2014.

BharatBenz Unveiling at Hyderabad : 2523
The BharatBenz 2523 haulage is a six-cylinder inline, 230 HP product in 6×2 configuration with 6.4 litre engine capacity. This 25,000 kg GVW truck comes with six forward and one reverse gear-box with overdrive.

BharatBenz Unveiling Hyderabad 1217Marc Llistosella, CEO and Managing Director of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) at the unveiling of the BharatBenz vehicles in Hyderabad, India : In the background 3123

The BharatBenz product range includes light, medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The BharatBenz heavy-duty truck is built on the Mercedes-Benz Axor platform, while the light and medium duty trucks are based on the Fuso Canter series. The light, medium and heavy-duty range of BharatBenz commercial vehicles will be manufactured at the new plant in Oragadam near Chennai. The 160-hectare facility will be put into operation in a few weeks, and production trials of engines and transmissions have already begun. Although the plant’s production capacity will initially be 36,000 units per year, it can be ramped up to 70,000 units, says Daimler. DICV is currently working together with more than 450 supplier companies, and future BharatBenz trucks will have a localization rate of 85 percent.

The retail network which will include 70 locations by the end of this year will be expanded to more than 100 dealerships by 2014.

The complete range of 17 commercial vehicles by the new Daimler brand will be available by 2014.

Commenting on the product premiere, Andreas Renschler, the Daimler Board of Management Member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, underscores the importance of the modern domestic segment in India. “India’s volume segment promises considerable growth accompanied by a rise in customer expectations,” Renschler said. “Our Global Excellence Strategy is bearing fruit here. Using existing truck platforms as a basis, we developed new products specifically for the Indian market, which are also manufactured and sold here in India. Like all Daimler commercial vehicles, BharatBenz trucks will fulfill customers’ expectations with regard to quality, reliability, and efficiency.”

Marc Llistosella, CEO and Managing Director of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, emphasized the following at the product presentation: “Today’s presentation of BharatBenz products is a significant moment for us. Following a long development phase and over 4.5 million kilometers of testing at our Oragadam proving grounds, we are more than ready to conquer the Indian market. The fact that Daimler is offering a brand for the Indian market shows how important this region is for us. We are investing 44 billion rupees (around €700 million) into highly modern development and production facilities, thus demonstrating our commitment to this fascinating country.”