Company setting up new production line for e-Drive
Lucas TVS had left a powerful impression at this year’s Auto Expo by demonstrating its India-developed and manufactured ‘e-Drive’ electric motor and controller.
Exhibiting as part of the TVS Group which was the Title Sponsor of the FISITA World Automotive Congress, the home-grown firm displayed the e-Drive, products for BS-VI along with other innovative solutions that attracted keen interest from OEMs and other visitors at the expo.
Talking exclusively to MOTORINDIA, Mr. Arvind Balaji, Joint Managing Director, Lucas TVS, said: “We had showcased these innovations at the Auto Expo earlier this year and are continuing with the same strategy, in the same direction and are executing our plans.
Customers have done trial runs using our e-Drive and are very happy with the product.
We are setting up a production line with an annual capacity of 50,000 units and will be going for SoP soon.”
Sharing his views on the FISITA Congress, Mr. Balaji added: “This FISITA event is a great opportunity for focusing R&D work in India and to develop solutions for India-like market which is where the growth is going to come from.
The TVS Group is all about developing solutions in India and this is a very good platform for people like us to showcase our capabilities. We believe global solutions will come from India, involving Indian companies which gives a great opportunity for us all.”
In September, Lucas TVS made its first appearance at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, the largest and most highly-rated exhibition for the CV sector globally. The move was a clear indicator of the company’s rising interest to reach out to a global customer base and deliver made-in-India products and solutions around the world.
Replying to a question on his company’s global market strategy, the JMD said: “Our industry is a global business; as the markets open up, there are a lot of opportunities. It’s not ‘whether’ we want to be global, it’s how fast we can be global. Once the Indian market moves to BS-VI, many of the OEMs may look at different export strategies from India because the technology used here would be similar to that in other global markets. This would present us more opportunities to go global.”
Touching upon the aftermarket aspect of the business, he remarked: “Like the rest of the industry, the automotive aftermarket is also evolving. Consumers are getting more safety conscious and local manufacturers are bringing in good quality products. The practices are also evolving in a big way.”
“Moving forward, we might not see too many layers in the aftermarket because goods can be transported easily thanks to GST; companies like Amazon have started selling spare parts online. Where is there no disruption now! Considering all these changes, companies have to change their model and go directly to the market as much as possible, which is what we are trying to do.” he added.