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MOTORINDIA
l
February 2012
the company gained access to the
knowledge of the Indian market.
Mr. Llistosella added: “We will
localise only when it makes sense,
in terms of quality and economy. If
this is not the case, we will import. It
could come from Thailand, Taiwan,
South Korea, even China, when it is
quality-wise the best. It should be
very cost-competitive but it should
be also a BharatBenz, which means
it must be much better in terms of
quality than what is currently in the
market. It’s a promise and a chal-
lenge and to make it quality-wise
and cost-wise good is a challenge.”
Reaching out to customers
BharatBenz is building up its ex-
tensive dealership network across
India to have about 70 locations on
board till the end of this year. It is
planning to further extend its activi-
ties all over India. As a part of its
meticulous dealership strategy, all
dealers have been reviewed to meet
highest business practices.
“We are on schedule with our
plans and are geared up for the mar-
ket launch of our trucks. In addi-
tion to a strong dealership network
across the country, we also have
BharatBenz financial services which
is an in-house financial wing which
will take care of needs of the cus-
tomers. We have entered into part-
nership with leading financial insti-
tutions in India, such as HDFC Bank
and ICICI Bank, to offer special fi-
nancing options for BharatBenz cus-
tomers. On the dealership front, we
will continue to expand in a healthy
and stabilized manner,” added Mr.
V.R.V. Sriprasad, Vice President
Marketing, Sales and After Sales,
DICV.
Already on board are some of the
leading names from the auto and
commercial vehicle segment. The
company has received 465 applica-
tions from Indian dealer companies
till date. It would select the best
suitable dealer at each location. The
dealerships will be single-brand re-
tails dedicated to BharatBenz as part
of its aftersales service network.
Plans for the near future
With Benz in its DNA, 4½ years of
tailor-made designing for the Indian
market, BharatBenz plans to launch
17 to 19 new products in the next
20 months. The first week of March
2012 will witness the premiere of
the complete range of BharatBenz
vehicles at a show in Hyderabad.
The official inauguration of the Ora-
gadam plant will be done in the third
week of April this year.
Mr. Sriprasad assertively added:
“The core is the customers and his
needs. We have understood the
needs of the customers over the last
four to five years, built everything
around this brand in order deliver
value to the customer. That is where
our confidence comes from and not
just because we have Benz in the
name.”
The company is confident that its
1,150 enthusiastic, dedicated and
quality-rich Indian engineers have
come out with trucks which are
unique to the Indian market and bet-
ter in key aspects such as perform-
ance, fuel efficiency, reliability,
service intervals and comfort. The
company’s focus is to raise the bar
and realise its promise of provid-
ing India with a whole new trucking
experience. Come 2013, the Indian
trucking fraternity will have a truck-
ing experience like never before,
one that is bound to make things
very interesting in the Indian com-
mercial vehicle space.
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sneak preview
“We have understood eve-
ry single nuance of what
works for the customer
and built it into our prod-
ucts and services.”
– Mr. Sriprasad