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MOTORINDIA
l April 2012
Mercedes-Benz India also announced the inaugura-
tion of its City Bus manufacturing facility in Chakan,
Pune, with an annual production capacity of 900 units
in two shifts. The decision to enter the city bus segment
in India highlights the global leader’s commitment to
the Indian market.
Speaking on the company’s focus on the Indian mar-
ket, Mr. Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, ob-
served: “Our 2-axle and 3-axle buses have been very
well received in the Indian market. Our foray into city
buses will now enable more and more people to ‘Travel
with the Star’. We will participate in the Indian market
growth by expanding our bus business with a superior-
quality low-entry city bus for the Indian market. The
Mercedes-Benz City Bus we present today is hence key
for Daimler Buses’ strategy for India. As the inventors
of buses and one of the largest bus makers of the world,
we are confident that our solutions will appeal to the
demanding Indian customers.”
The Indian bus market is the second largest in the
world with 46,000 units sold in 2011. Despite the im-
pressive figure, there is still a huge untapped market
potential due to the growing Indian population and the
continuously increasing need for transportation, mobil-
ity and innovation.
“When it comes to strengthening public transport, the
city bus is the best concept to be applied. It is easy to
integrate into running traffic, without the need for major
infrastructure investment as in metro or railways, and it
is very flexible in operation. These advantages perfectly
correspond to the impressive dynamics which the Indian
society undergoes across all sectors”, added Mr. Schick.
New head for Daimler Buses India
The launch event also saw Mercedes-Benz appoint
Mr. Markus Villinger as the Head of Daimler Buses
India, another decision foregrounding the company’s
vehicle zone
Mercedes-Benz, one of the largest bus manufacturers in the world,
has introduced its low-entry City Bus for the first time in the Indian
market. After its successful entry into the Indian inter-city bus seg-
ment in 2008, the company has signalled its increasing intentions for
the Indian market with its latest foray into the city bus segment.