OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE Chennai/Indien, Feb 17, 2011 Daimler strengthens India commitment by launching BharatBenz, which also serves as the basis for introducing a new generation of trucks Brand to represent entire Daimler India Commercial Vehicles portfolio of trucks from 6 to 49 tons Fifth brand in the Daimler Trucks portfolio Chennai/India – Daimler, the world’s largest manufacturer of Medium- and Heavy-duty trucks above 6 tonnes, today unveiled its exclusive new brand of trucks for the Indian market. The brand, BharatBenz, will offer Indian customers an entire range of trucks from 6 to 49 tons across various applications. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG & Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars; Andreas Renschler, Head of Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses; and Marc Llistosella, Managing Director and CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, unveiled the BharatBenz brand at the production location in Oragadam, near Chennai in India. “We are sending a clear message with our new truck brand: Daimler is at home in India. Our BharatBenz trucks are the right combination of Daimler’s DNA and India’s market know-how. These trucks will be developed and built in India, for India, and by specialist employees from India,” said Dr. Zetsche. “India’s macroeconomy has been on a growth track over the last years and is estimated to grow between seven and eight percent in the next ten years. Additionally, India has become the world’s second largest market for Medium- and Heavy-duty trucks. By 2020, we expect the Indian truck industry to double. We will play a significant role in this leap. For us, the most promising market is the “new middle market”, for which we will offer our new truck product portfolio. That’s why we’ll see a general upward-trend towards vehicles that will set new standards in terms of performance, quality reliability and efficiency”. This market is expected to grow to as much as 80 percent of the Indian truck market until 2020”, Andreas Renschler explains. “The BharatBenz product range will draw on Daimler Trucks’ entire range of technological expertise in order to best address the special needs of Indian customers. The product range in the Light-duty segment is based on the Fuso Canter tried-and-tested platform, while the heavy-duty range is based on one of our Mercedes-Benz trucks platform. With these platforms the trucks have been ideally tailored to the needs of our India’s customers”, Marc Llistosella adds. The choice of the “Bharat” part of the name reinforces Daimler Trucks’ commitment to serving the local market. The translation of Bharat means “India” in the various national languages. Daimler AG, headquartered in Stuttgart, is commemorating 125 years of the automobile this year. The pioneering spirit of its founders set the world in motion, by creating the world’s first automobile. Having spearheaded a tradition of innovation, with many firsts to its credit, including the world’s first truck 115 years ago, the new exclusive Indian brand BharatBenz is yet another great achievement in Daimler’s quest for excellence. The company will roll out trucks in 2012 from its manufacturing facility at Oragadam, near Chennai. Spread over about 160 hectares, the facility also houses a state of the art test track, which is a testimony to the promise of uncompromising quality and performance. Over one million kilometers of testing have already been achieved by the company. DICV has a total dedicated investment of over INR 4400 crs (approximately €700 million). Source: Daimler Unveils BharatBenz Exclusive for hannaz
Tapping into fast developing economies and future superpowers, just what the economies of scale doctor ordered!
Daimler AG enters Indian truck segment with 25-tonne Rigid BharatBenz truck the first to roll out of the assembly line at its Oragadam plant in Chennai Daimler AG is all set to make their mark in the Indian commercial markets with their newly constructed plant situated at Oragadam, Chennai. The company will be investing adequately in Indian operations and first on the production line is their 25-tonne Rigid BharatBenz truck, which will enter Indian markets by September 2012. The BharatBenz brand is specially created for the Indian markets and hopes to join the ranks of Volvo, Navistar and MAN. The company is keen on finding ways and means to satisfy the Indian consumer where commercial vehicles are concerned. They have added a dedicated place on the dashboard for Lord Ganesha who is looked upon as a good luck charm my most people in the country. Giving its vehicles a local brand name such as BharatBenz is another way to entrench their products in the hearts of the Indian consumer. The company is all set to make their mark in the country once their products get ready for launch during the current year. India is emerging as one of the major markets for commercial vehicles. The Daimler plant in Chennai is spread over 160 hectares and includes a production plant and state of the art in house test track on which all Daimler trucks will be tested. The new BharatBenz trucks will also undergo stringent tests and trials before they are ready for Indian consumer markets. News release: Right on schedule: First series-produced BharatBenz truck rolls off the assembly line Launch of series production in India New Daimler brand BharatBenz brings modern truck technology onto India's roads Daimler AG has set a further milestone in its efforts to open up the Indian truck market. As planned, the Group's subsidiary Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) today commenced series production of BharatBenz trucks. Between now and 2014, the brand that was specifically created for the Indian market will launch a total of 17 models, covering the entire weight segment from six to 49 tons GVW. DICV's product range will meet the rising demand for durable and reliable trucks and prepare the subsidiary for the strong growth expected in the modern domestic segment. The brand's first product is a heavy-duty truck with 25 tons GVW and an output of 230 hp. The start of production is the latest in a series of measures that DICV is implementing as it prepares to deal with the increasing demand for state-of-the-art trucks in India's volume segment. The Chennai manufacturing plant was inaugurated in April after a record construction time of only 24 months. Since early May, BharatBenz trucks have been taking part in a more than 8,000-kilometer-long "Power Yatra" trip through all of India. During the tour, they will stop in 22 major cities to promote people's interest in the new brand. The BharatBenz trucks will be launched on the market in September 2012, when the first vehicles will be handed over to customers through a nationwide network of approximately 70 dealerships. A revolution for India - in more ways than one On the occasion of the start of production, Marc Llistosella, CEO and Managing Director of DICV, referred to the immense performance both Indian and German employees showed to turn the company's engagement into a success. "The fact that today's launch of series production sets another milestone only a few weeks after the plant opening underpins that our project is well underway." At the same time, Llistosella underscored the company's ambition of revolutionizing India's roads with its state-of-the-art BharatBenz trucks. "In addition to cutting-edge technology, we're also relying on our high ethical standards as we strive to achieve this goal. Suppliers, dealers, and other business partners all appreciate that our activities are both transparent and fair," said Llistosella. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV), the Indian subsidiary of the world's leading truck manufacturer Daimler AG, today commenced its commercial production and rolled out its first 25-tonne Rigid BharatBenz truck off the assembly line at its Oragadam plant in Chennai. Since the launch of BharatBenz brand for the Indian market in early 2011, the subsequent BharatBenz Product Premiere early this year and the inauguration of the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Oragadam near Chennai, in April 2012, the production of BharatBenz trucks are on schedule. The first product scheduled for the market launch is the 2523 Heavy Duty Truck with 230 HP, based on theMercedes Benz Axor platform. With the start of production, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV) will offer value-for-money trucks that will deliver best in class performance, reliability and fuel efficiency. The market launch of BharatBenz trucks is scheduled for September 2012. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Marc Llistosella, Managing Director & CEO, DICV, referred to the immense performance both Indian and German employees showed to turn the company's engagement into a success. "The fact that today's launch of production sets another milestone only a few weeks after the plant opening reiterates that our project is well underway. It is a proud moment for us, again today, to see the fructification of the team's work over the last few years," he added. In the first phase, BharatBenz trucks will be sold and serviced over a network of 70 dealer locations. http://www.rushlane.com/daimler-ag-...at-its-oragadam-plant-in-chennai-1237338.html
