Scania, one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, has unveiled a new range of on-road trucks for the Indian market. The range includes four trucks which will be under trial by select customers who were presented vehicle keys during the launch.
Scania has undertaken extensive research prior to launching the new trucks in India, in line with its strategies to bring in innovative products and services, offering value through lower total cost of ownership (TCO).
Through the launch of the new products, the company will continue its heritage of offering customers world class products and services and being a trusted transportation partner.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Henrik Fagrenius, Managing Director, Scania Commercial Vehicles India said: “Today is an important milestone for all of us at Scania. We believe that Indian truck buyers will have the benefit of an added choice – trucks with outstanding fuel performance and reliability that offer them value for their investment.”
The newly launched models – the R 500 6×4, the G 460 6×4, the P 410 6×2 and the P 360 4×2 – are being made available to customers in the Indian on-road haulage segment. Scania’s foray into the segment is completely customer-focused on providing reliable and fuel efficient transport solutions with lesser impact on the environment. This will cater to the needs of diversified and growing segments in India such as long haul container handling, steel, chemical, special bulk transportation and over dimensional cargo (ODC) transportation.
Mr. Nekzad J. Parabia, Director J.H.Parabia (Transport) Pvt. Ltd., Baroda, one of the customers who would be running the vehicles on trials, said: “We value this relationship with Scania.
Our expectations on the V8 engine truck are not only based on the high torque rating, but also that it should be a better powertrain for tough transportation assignments. We look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.”
The R 500 6×4 is a heavy-duty puller, which is rightly called ‘King of the Road’ across global markets, is powered by the best-in-class 500 hp V8 engine, offering a high low-speed torque rating, which is essential for super ODC transportation. With the automated gear-changing system Scania Opticruise, this will be the first-of-its-kind in the Indian market to carry the super over dimensional cargo across the country in the most demanding highway conditions.
The G 460 6×4 heavy-duty puller, powered by a 460 hp engine, is also equipped with the Scania Opticruise that will help the driver to cruise with ease and comfort. The G 460 offers higher torque than any competitive 13-litre truck on Indian roads, thereby redefining standards in the ODC transportation segment in India.
The P 410 6×2 prime mover, a multi-task master, is the first-of-its-kind in the Indian market, with a powerful 410 hp engine coupled with a liftable tag axle tailored for long haul transport. The P 410 promotes efficiency through fuel savings and faster turnaround times, thereby setting new standards in the logistics segment, with a significant shift in TCO.
The P 360 4×2 prime mover, powered by a 360 hp engine, is a specially engineered truck with high power and torque with rear air suspension that serves the needs of critical and fragile cargo transportation which require high safety and lower turnaround time, offering a better solution through life cycle cost savings.
Scania is bullish that its products would perform well in the Indian conditions and has been buoyed by the results of recent tests conducted on its products.One of its customers had conducted a 360 km test run of the 6×2 truck which reflected around 40 per cent saving in time and a 15 per cent fuel saving.
The company is focused on delivering world-class technology to Indian customers and is extremely confident about the success of its new truck range.
The company has appointed its first dealer for its on-road trucks. Navnit Motors, headquartered in Mumbai, will cater to the requirements of Maharashtra while Scania has also identified potential dealers in Chennai and Hyderabad, which are likely to be finalized by the end of the 2012. Scania will work closely with its dealers to provide customer-focused service to ensure maximum uptime of its latest range of products. The company also plans to offer a unique business model to customers for financing the vehicles.
Scania has been doing well in the Indian mining and construction segment through its distribution partner L&T. Though the country’s mining industry is not in very good shape at present, the company is keen on tapping the huge potential in the last-mile transport of imported coal.
In the mining segment, Scania currently offers the P 380 8×4 tipper which has performed well in Indian conditions.
Though Scania’s focus is on niche segments in the Indian market, the company is certain that the Indian truck market is bound to grow exponentially in all segments, with the government making huge investments towards infrastructure development.
Impending issues such as FDI in retail and GST also are key indicators that the future is bright for the Indian market, which the company is looking to leverage on.
Scania recently opened its central warehouse near Whitefield in Bangalore and with the construction of its manufacturing facility at Narasapura in Bangalore going as per plans, the company targets an annual roll-out of 2,000 heavy haulage trucks and 1,000 inter-city multi-axle buses and coaches from the plant within five years. Scania has a long-term vision for the Indian market and one is likely to see an increasing number of its trucks hit the Indian roads in the coming years.
“We are proud that Navnit Group has added one more feather to its cap by joining hands with Scania, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks and buses. It is a great honor for us to be appointed as Scania’s first dealer across India for 3S operations of trucks and buses. We are sure that Scania trucks will be the preferred choice of customers to cater to the growing needs of transportation of long haul materials and for ODC transportation.” – Mr. Vijay Kachalia, Director, Navnit Group.