Daimler India

Automobiles

BharatBenz delivers Future of  Indian Trucking

Sep 26, 2012

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV), the 100% Indian subsidiary of the world’s No. 1 truck manufacturer Daimler AG, today launched its first set of trucks under the BharatBenz brand in Mumbai – in the presence of media and dealers of Bharat Benz.

The three Heavy Duty BharatBenz Trucks – 2523R and 3123R for the haulage segment and 2523C for the construction segment – will now be commercially available through a growing number of state-of-the-art dealerships.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Llistosella said: “Today is an important milestone for all of us at Daimler and Indian trucking as, from today on, Indian truck buyers will have a new choice. A choice of trucks that are more fuel efficient, more reliable and in the end makes them more successful. BharatBenz is here, and we are proud to have delivered on the promise we made since 2010, to launch our trucks in September 2012. We will drive the change in the Indian market with a new product experience, a new sales experience and a new service experience for our customers.”

The three Heavy-Duty trucks launched today are first among the range of 17 models that will be launched over the next 17 months. Eight of them were presented to the market in a large-scale customer-event in March this year.

BharatBenz offers value-for-money trucks with a strong focus on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).  Having undergone grueling tests – both at the state-of-the-art test track at its plant and on various Indian terrains, these trucks have been built with a promise of best-in-class reliability and performance. The proven fuel efficiency of BharatBenz trucks is a major advantage, especially in the current day scenario where fuel prices are sky-rocketing.  These trucks boast of fuel efficiency that is more than 10% better, in comparison to existing products in the market.

The Heavy-Duty Trucks, based on the Mercedes-Benz Axor platform, have been localised to suit specific needs of Indian customers, featuring a six-cylinder engine with 230 HP (170 KW) in all three variants. The trucks introduce a host of features, a first in the commercial vehicles industry, to enhance Safety & Performance. They boast of features like the intelligent-unitized-fuel-injection system, balance-type rear suspension and inter-wheel differential in the haulage trucks and inter-wheel/inter-axle differential locks in the construction trucks, the unique “Engine-Brake” system, to name a few.

Mr. V.R.V. Sriprasad, VP, Marketing, Sales & After-sales, DICV, said: “BharatBenz trucks will now be available through a state-of-the-art dealership network. This network will offer complete sales consulting, 24X7 after-sales service with advanced interactive vehicle diagnostics, roadside assistance for best service reach, leading to the lowest turnaround time in our workshops. These dealerships will also provide tailor-made financial services/service packages – ensuring comprehensive attention to our customers – all under one roof. Letter of Intents have already been issued for setting up these facilities in over 100 locations in the country, covering prominent trucking routes and hubs. BharatBenz dealerships are already operational in South and Western regions, and will open facilities in the north and east in the coming weeks.”

“Importantly, we have focused on enhancing value to our customer by offering a significant fuel efficiency advantage and aggregates are engineered for long lifespan and longer service intervals. This, in turn, will reduce the operational cost and keep the trucks performing at full potential for longer periods of time, thus enhancing their useful life in our customer’s fleet,” he added.

Backed by the financial power and expertise of Daimler’s financial arm – Daimler Financial Services – customers will benefit from the captive financier under the name of ‘BharatBenz Financial’. BharatBenz Insurance, India’s first Branded Commercial Vehicle Insurance, offers cashless facility including zero depreciation and a host of other value-adds. This integrated approach will offer the customers the combined benefit of products and financial services under one roof, making ownership a hassle-free experience.

BharatBenz also has tied up with four leading Indian financial institutions – HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Sundaram Finance and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., who will offer tailored financing solutions for customers. Additionally, several other banks & NBFCs have also approved BharatBenz products with attractive terms & conditions. Cholamandalam, SREI, Magma, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, YES Bank, Reliance Capital, L & T Finance, to name a few.

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