Strategy of adapting to current market dynamics
In order to address the rising fuel cost of transporters by delivering higher mileage than the Blazo and ensuring a unique and unmatched mileage guarantee of ‘get more mileage or return the truck’, Mahindra Truck and Bus (MTB) has introduced the Blazo X, HCV range of trucks, an upgrade of its popular Blazo trucks.
Automotive Sector, M&M, at the Blazo X launch in Mumbai
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rajan Wadhera, President, Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said: “The Blazo pushed the boundaries for Mahindra since its launch on several fronts, be it volumes and market share or the industry first guarantees which laid the foundation for a turnaround of business. As we launch the new Blazo X series of HCV trucks, we have further enhanced our customer value proposition of ‘Har Cheez Guarantee Ke Saath’ and will create higher benchmarks in performance and earnings.”
He added: “In fact, given the spiralling fuel prices, there wasn’t a better time to introduce the Blazo X, with the benefit of extra mileage. I firmly believe that the Blazo X will reaffirm our customers’ faith in Mahindra’s ability to create class leading products and set higher standards for the Indian CV industry.”
Adapting to new axle load norms
Mr. Vinod Sahay, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Truck and Bus Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said: “The launch of the Blazo X will further strengthen our position in the market. With 21,000 Blazo trucks already on Indian roads, our Blazo range of HCVs are well entrenched in important segments such as car carriers, tankers, cement bulkers and the coal industry, with their proposition of best value for money brand, mileage superiority and low cost of ownership. The heavy truck volume grew 79 per cent in the first half of the fiscal compared to a 56 per cent industry growth, garnering a market share of 4.9 per cent, while in the LCV segment, the market share stood at 9.4 per cent. In the bus segment, there was much to catch up as the market share in this segment was just 5 per cent.”
Asked about adapting the Blazo X to the new axle load norms, he observed: “To meet the new axle load norms with newer generation trucks, OEMs are now coming up with 10 bar pressure brake system. In Blazo itself we had a 10-bar pressure brake system. We already have a 395 mm diaphragm type single plate dry clutch and a 7.2 ltrs best-in-class mPower engine of 274 hp. So, for us the level of changes has been minimum. The new Blazo X features many improvements – improved efficiencies in the vehicle’s air management system, rolling characteristics, and the vehicle’s rotating parts, among others.”
In his presentation, Mr. Sahay laid stress on how the fleet operators will benefit from the new Blazo X. The truck owners would not have to pay for additional fuel and, in fact, would benefit from waste-gate turbocharger, efficient intercooler, low friction axle seals, grease, oil and even get extra energy from the electronic viscous (EV) fan. While the Blazo X replaces the Blazo range and offers a 5 per cent better fuel efficiency over the existing Blazo range, customers will have to spend an additional Rs. 25,000 for the ‘X-tra’ benefits.
Spreading arms
The new Blazo X series will be available in all platforms, viz., haulage, tractor-trailer and tipper. It is equipped with Blazo’s hugely successful FUELSMART technology. When asked about the performance of the Blazo tippers, Mr. Sahay said: “We expect to boost our sales in the Blazo range of tippers too. Certainly, we need to grow and expand our tipper family by getting into new variants. We have 8×2 tippers and are going to launch 8×4 tippers soon. We will also have bogie suspension in all tippers. 9 speed and 6 speed gear box option are already available, but we will also have more body options. We intend to introduce a new variant every quarter.”
The MTB is also mulling exports to South Asian and African countries. Mr. Sahay said: “We focus on all products as a group for exports, like farm equipment’s, construction trucks and buses. South Asia and Africa are the markets we are focusing on with our entire Blazo range.”
In order to ensure customers have peace of mind when it comes to breakdown and services, MTBD is going to add 100 more touch-points. “Trucks today are becoming far more reliable. The oil change interval has increased and has gone up from 1,20,000 km to 3 lakh km. So, the trucks come very rarely to the workshops for a planned service. To assure faster and guaranteed availability of parts, we also have M Partz Plaza and spares network of more than 2,000 network points to further improve the reach of support for customers on important trucking routes,” asserted Mr. Sahay.
The company has also announced the setting up of its express North-South Service Corridor on the 3,800 km long stretch, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. This comprises 41 service touchpoints, one every 100 km, with a guaranteed service reach of 4 hours or Rs. 500 compensation for every hour of delay. This is the second such corridor after the Mumbai-Delhi service corridor which caters to nearly 30 per cent of truck movement. MTB also has India’s first multi-lingual 24X7 helpline, NOW, which is manned by technical experts to provide instant support to customers and drivers. The NOW mobile service vans and mobile workshops further add to the reach and agility of the support network.
Today MTB is a formidable contender, having scaled No.3 position in certain segments and certain markets such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir in the HCV category and commanding the overall No.4 position in the Indian HCV industry. However, the company is expected to launch a few BS-IV products of Furio as opposed to the six disclosed during the Furio launch, due to the Supreme Court ruling not to allow sales of BS-IV emission vehicles with effect from April 1, 2020. The Furio range will further cement MTB’s position as a full range commercial vehicle player.
“We may have to lose business opportunity of BS-IV vehicles sales towards the end of the regime, as we postpone one or two launches because of the reduced timeline. But we intend to leverage upon the opportunities created by the new axle load norms and market conditions and will come up with variants both on Blazo and Furio platforms as we approach the BS-VI emission era,” concluded Mr. Sahay.