Futuristic mobility solutions take centre-stage
The 8th edition of the international fair delineated the critical facets of growth and evolution of the Indian bus and coach industry, with its prime focus on specialized products, enhanced passenger comfort and safety, value additions to bus travel, digitization of processes, and sustainability through electrification.
“At MG, we consider Busworld as our strategic partner in providing us the right platform in showcasing our products and capabilities to the right audience and create a brand visibility across India and abroad. We are glad that footfalls at MG pavillion were incredible since the first day of the event, and we are happy to close concrete orders for all our coach models displayed at the MG pavilion. In addition, we also had an opportunity to discuss strategic tie-ups with other suppliers for tech transfer and product innovation.
– Mr. Anil Kamat, MG Automotive
Busworld India, the country’s largest and most comprehensive B2B exhibition exclusively for the bus and coach industry, returned to the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru for the second time late last month.
The 3-day exhibition saw participation by over 115 exhibitors who showcased their latest products and solutions, including firms from Germany, the US, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, China, Belarus, Korea and Austria, among others.
“We are delighted to have been part of this exhibition and are happy with the number of prospective customers who visited our stall and showed interest in our new monocoque offerings in the midi bus segment.
– Mr. Prasan Firodoa, MD, Force Motors
The exhibitor profile comprised of domestic bus makers, component manufacturers and global tech suppliers. The show witnessed a footfall of over 8,000 business visitors.
Enriching the ambience of the show were the numerous component makers with their innovative solutions to cater to the progressing needs of the country’s bus market.
Their offerings ranged from in-cabin accessories like seating, lighting, infotainment systems, ventilation, flooring and other decors, to engineering systems, including automated doors, HVAC systems, air-suspension, automated transmissions, carbon-fibre composite CNG storage tanks, wiring and sensors, and so on.
“Busworld India 2018 has during this 8th edition broken all records on the level of visitors as well on the level of exhibitors. Also the co-operation with BOCI and ASRTU brought an added value to the exhibition. We look eagerly to our next edition.
– Mr. Didier Ramoudt, President, Busworld International
A common objective shared by all those component and technology suppliers was to offer technically advanced-but-affordable solutions to the changing preferences of the domestic bus industry towards more sophistication and commuter convenience, tailor-made for local parameters.
Further, long-term considerations for ancillaries like low maintenance and energy efficiency were more pronounced in their presentations. This reflects a clear maturation that is emerging among the consumers in this regard, i.e., OEMs, body builders, dealers and retailers, SRTU delegates, and private bus fleets.
Major Takeaways
On the products front, a variety of fully-built buses were on display, across wide value ranges, including those catering to the specialized and niche segments that are emerging in the domestic market. For instance, inter-city sleeper coaches seized the expo floor this time, with prime time body builders MG Automotives and Prakash Automobiles each unveiling a brand-new coach.
Both these models are built on BharatBenz’ latest 16T bus chassis, which is perhaps gaining great traction in the ‘value’ bus market in the country.
MG Auto also debuted an uber-luxurious sleeper coach built on Mercedes-Benz multi-axle chassis, which sits at the other end of the spectrum in the sleeper segment.
Luxurious seater buses also kept abreast the competition from sleeper coaches. Tata Motors presented an array of products in this regard, ranging from 12-seater and 22-seater air-conditioned buses built on Ultra platform to the Magna luxury coach for long-distance applications.
‘Midibus’ is yet another segment that garnered massive interest at the Busworld this time. In particular, the debut of ‘Traveller Monobus’ marked the entry of Force Motors into the midibus fray.
The watertight distinction between the passenger utility vehicles and midibuses seemed breached with the display of the Tata Winger 12-seater and the Force Traveller ‘Rural bus’ at the expo.
The megatrend of battery-electric buses was not left out either.
Olectra Greentech, formerly Goldstone Infratech, staged an offensive display of India’s first-ever 39-seater electric inter-city bus and 11-seater all-electric luxury mini-bus at the show. These products are built on BYD K9 and K6 platforms respectively, but for unique applications, hinting at the emergence of new segments within the electric bus market in the country.
“It’s enormous pleasure to have such wonderful response from everyone. I consider this as a great success with a tremendous increase in the number of visitors as compared to last year. We are thankful to BOCI and ASRTU and other associations for their valuable support and co-operation. I congratulate all exhibitors for bringing in their innovations and offerings at this platform for the betterment of the bus industry. Big thanks to Busworld International, Belgium.
– Mr. Rajan Sharma, MD, Interads Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd.
By and large, both the exhibitors and the visitors felt that the Busworld India 2018 has greatly sharpened its focus, in addition to improved footfall and business
queries at the expo floor than the previous edition.
The show has undeniably enhanced confidence among various stakeholders of the bus industry that the market prospects for the ongoing and upcoming financial years are far brighter than the previous year.
Stay tuned to MOTORINDIA’s upcoming October issue for a comprehensive coverage on the exhibitors and their presentations at Busworld India 2018.