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MOTORINDIA
l
June 2012
cover story
servicemen Association for driver
training. MNAL conducts four-day
programmes to train the army driv-
ers in civilian driving which covers
aspects such as road rules and effi-
cient driving. Over 900 drivers have
been trained till date and have also
been rewarded with a visit to the
company’s Chakan plant.
MNAL is also looking to make
an entry into the longer bus seg-
ment. The company is a leader in
the school bus segment and is keen
on extending its success to other
bus segments as well. “We will
definitely enter the bus segment. We
will take some time for that as we
are consolidating the HCV project
now. We will first work on the in-
tegrated solutions and also launch
the 49-tonner tractor-trailer and the
MN25 mining tipper before the bus
venture”, added Mr. Mehta. Cur-
rently MNAL buses are made at the
company’s Zahirabad plant.
Since MCV trucks and long bus-
es have a common basic driveline,
MNAL is eyeing the possibility of
bringing out both the platforms at
the same time, which would prove
efficient in many ways. Globally,
Navistar has formed a partnership
with a Brazilian company called
Neobus to focus on the inter-city
bus segment, though Mahindra will
rely on its own expertise for the im-
minent bus project.
LCV segment
MNAL’s LCV business also con-
tinues to perform extremely well.
The company, with a 12 per cent
market share in the segment, had sold
over 11,000 LCVs last financial year
and targets reaching the 20,000 mark
in the next two to three years. Inter-
estingly, close to 70 per cent of the
sales came from the south region and
as a consequence, the company’s fo-
cus is now on improving its presence
in other regions across India.
In LCV cargo carriers, the MNAL
Load King and the DI 3200 vehicle
attract good demand. In the school
bus segment, MNAL’s 15-seater and
25-seater buses have been very suc-
cessful. Last year, the company intro-
duced two new products – a 32-seater
and a 40-seater. MNAL has proved
itself as a pioneer in the school bus
segment because of its efforts to pro-
duce tailor-made school-buses ca-
tering to the requirements of school
children. India is increasing its focus
on trauma care which has propelled
demand for ambulances. With the
ambulance market expected to be
close to 6,000 units in FY 12-13,
MNAL is looking to leverage on the
huge demand in the segment.
MNAL has every-
thing in place to ex-
pand its presence in
the HCV segment.
With the cowl ver-
sion, a new engine,
pan-India
service
network and many
other focused initia-
tives, the company is
firm in its resolve of
attaining its targets.
At the current rate
of its operations, the
annual sales target of
50,000 trucks is well
within reach. This
would definitely be a
mark of outperform-
ance in the Indian CV
market.
w
Focus on Truck industry
Chakan plant: The final assembly line, with 92 assembly stages, has wireless electrified
monorail system for cabin & engine transfer and a unique chassis tilting system.