Engineered to be a game-changer in the Indian trucking industry, the vehicle promises to offer the highest profit potential to its owners
Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, launched its latest offering in the medium and heavy commercial vehicle segment – the Tata Signa 3118.T – India’s first three-axle 6 x 2 (10-wheeler) rigid truck with 31 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW). The Tata Signa 3118.T offers a unique blend of value proposition in terms of both revenue and operating cost for its customers. With a 3,500 kg higher certified payload than the corresponding 28-tonne GVW rigid truck and equivalent cost of operations with similar fuel, tyre and maintenance cost as a 28-tonne truck, this product is conceived to significantly enhance the net operating profit for its customers by about 45% over a 28-tonne truck.
The incremental investment on the Signa 3118.T over the corresponding 28-tonne truck can be recovered in less than one year of operations and followed by years of incremental earnings. Commenting on the launch of the new model, Rajesh Kaul, Vice President (Sales and Marketing – Commercial Vehicle Business Unit), Tata Motors, said: “The Signa 3118.T is a landmark in Tata Motors’ journey towards customer excellence. The model is evidence of unmatched customer-focused engineering and unique value positioning by Tata Motors. Value features like fuel economy switch, gear shift advisor, ICGT brakes, Fleet Edge™ telematics system with inbuilt anti-fuel theft and reverse parking assistance perfectly complement the pioneering vehicle design, exceeding the expectations of the new-age customer.”
The Lx version also comes with air-conditioning and unitised wheel bearings. This model expands the array of choice for customers seeking to enhance their profitability through revenue growth model. The Tata Signa 3118.T, with its 12.5-tonne dual tyre lift axle configuration, marks the value discovery of white space in the medium and heavy commercial vehicle segment. It can operate at 31-tonne GVW with the lift axle down and at 18.5-tonne GVW with the lift axle up, offering a large band of operating payload for various application needs. Operating with lift axle up is categorically beneficial for the tanker customers, yielding higher fuel economy in empty returns. It is ideally suitable for all types of tanker applications – petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL), chemicals, bitumen, edible oil, milk and water, as well industrial goods such as packed LPG cylinders, lubricants, agricultural products, etc.
The Signa 3118.T is certified by Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) for 25 KL POL tanker, which is 2 KL higher than the highest allowed capacity on a 10-wheeler, 28-tonne GVW truck. It comes in 24-feet and 32-feet load spans in Signa avatar with Lx, Cx versions, and a cowl variant. Powered by the Cummins BS 6 engine, developing 186 hp of power and 850 Nm of torque, the Tata Signa 3118.T is mated to the G 950 6 speed transmission and heavy-duty axles. It is an outcome of Tata Motors’ ‘product attribute leadership’ strategy, under the ‘Power of Six Value’ philosophy. Assured with a bouquet of value-added services and service promises under the Sampoorna Seva 2.0 and standard driveline warranty of six years or six lakh kilometres, the Tata Signa 3118.T will be launched in phases across states and markets.