Auto Expo 2014: Scania to export Made-in-India CVs from August

Commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania plans to begin test exports of its Made-in-India products by August 2014, to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other countries. The company also plans to increase chassis localisation for its off-road and on-road vehicles in India; its truck and bus bodies are currently 100 percent localised. Meanwhile, Scania’s bio-fuel-based buses are to begin trial runs in Bangalore by end-March/April 2014.
The company has till now sold 200 units of premium city/inter-city buses (multi-axle), which it had launched in February 2013 at Busworld in Mumbai. The current market size of premium city/inter-city buses stands at 800 units per year, which was down in 2013 due to the ongoing slowdown.
Scania, which currently has a market share of 28 percent in the premium mining segment in India, plans to increase its share to 30-35 percent this year. The annual market size of this segment is 1,300 units.

Scania India also announced the launch of its fleet management service at the Auto Expo. This service is tailored to suit each operator’s needs and involves supporting the driver as well as managing the transport operation and the vehicle fleet. This service offers customers the ability to monitor, analyse and control their fleet operations. It comprises a number of independent services that can be combined to suit individual operators’ needs and can be installed in all Scania haulage trucks and buses.

At the Expo, the CV manufacturer displayed its latest heavy haulage truck, the Scania R 500 6x4, with a top-of-the-line V8 engine, offering high torque ratings at low speed, essential for super over-dimensional cargo (ODC) transport. With the automated gear changing system, Scania Opticruise, it will be the first vehicle of its kind on the Indian market to carry super ODC across the country under the most demanding of highway conditions.

Speaking at the Expo, Anders Grundströmer, managing director, Scania India and senior VP, Scania Group, said, “India is a very important market for us. With the launch of our Fleet Management service and the V8 series of engines, we are all set to widen our footprint in growing markets across the country. This is in line with our commitment, following the launch of the on-road haulage segment, to focus on providing reliable, fuel-efficient transport solutions and complete innovative service offerings to customers in India. This coupled with our driver training program will enable customers and operators to have better control over the fleet and help drivers to drive more economically and more safely which in turn have a positive impact on customers’ profitability. This will also help in a significant reduction of emissions and will have a lesser impact on the environment.”

Scania is also exhibiting its P 410 8x4 tipper, the Scania G 410 with new features such as the automated gear changing system for manual gearboxes, and the 13.7-metre, 49-seater luxury intercity Scania Metrolink coach.

Scania will inaugurate phase II of its production facility – the bus factory in Naraspura, Karnataka – by mid-2014. The company says it will also set up a complete service and dealership network in the country starting from South and West India, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Photograph: The Scania P 410.