BharatBenz

BharatBenz
Division
Industry Automotive
Founded February 17, 2011
Key people
 Erich Nesselhauf CEO
Products Commercial vehicles
Trucks
Owner Daimler AG
Number of employees
 2,500
Parent Daimler India Commercial Vehicles
Website www.bharatbenz.com
BharatBenz Dump truck at exhibition IAA 2014 in Hanover, Germany.

BharatBenz is a truck marque of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Daimler AG.[1][2] The “Bharat” part of the brand name means “India” in various Indian languages.[1]

History

In 2008, Daimler AG planned to enter the Indian market in a joint venture with Hero MotoCorp to build medium and heavy commercial vehicles.[3] A joint venture named Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles (DHCV) was formed under Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in July 2008 with 60% holding of Daimler AG and 40% holding of Hero Group.[4]

Daimler AG and Hero Group announced to dissolve the Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles Ltd. joint venture on April 15, 2009 because of an economic downturn in India.[5][6] Hero group decided to focus on core operation and return the 40% stake in DHCV joint venture to Daimler AG.[7] With 100% stake Daimler AG renamed DHCV as Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV).

BharatBenz MDT (Medium- Duty Truck) 914

The launch of the BharatBenz brand was announced on February 17, 2011 at Chennai by Daimler AG Chairman Dieter Zetsche and the first BharatBenz truck was unveiled on January 4, 2012 at the Delhi Auto Expo.[8][9] The decision to launch the brand was prompted by Daimler's determination to compete in the fast-growing Indian truck market against existing Indian brands such as Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors and Indian ventures of other leading global truck manufacturers like VE Commercial Vehicles (Volvo-Eicher Motors-Joint Venture). The entire proposed truck line-up in the 9 to 49-tonne range was unveiled on March 2, 2012.[8]

Early 2014 BharatBenz launched the tractor trailer models and a construction model making itself a full range player in the segment above 9T category spanning across Medium and Heavy duty truck segments. Product range: 914, 1214, 2523, 3123, 3128, 2523 (6x4), 1217, 2528(6x4), 3128 CM, 4023 and 4928.

Products

BharatBenz HDT 3128 C (Heavy-Duty Truck)

The BharatBenz heavy-duty trucks are built on the Mercedes-Benz Axor platform, and the medium-duty trucks on the Fuso Canter and Fuso Fighter series.[10][11] The entire product line meets BSIII standards (comparable to EURO III).[8] All BharatBenz (17 models) trucks are slated to be up to 9% more expensive but be 10% more fuel efficient than the competition.[12] The FUSO medium and heavy duty trucks produced in Chennai are also being exported to markets of Africa and Asia, under Daimler's Asia Business Model. BharatBenz crossed 10,000 units sale mark in April 2014 and sold 1000 units in March 2014.

Production facility

DICV set up a manufacturing plant for the BharatBenz trucks in Oragadam, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu at an investment of over €700 million (INR44 billion).[8] Its biggest investment outside Europe.[12] Construction area for plant is 400 acres, out of which 47 acres are dedicated to 3-lane 1.55 kilometer test track.[13] Test track include a bump track, pothole testing and articulation sections, a water trough, an inspection ramp and a control tower.[13] Localization rate for BharatBenz truck is 85%[12] Initial production capacity at the plant is 36000 units per year for 2012 and will be expanded to 70,000 units per year by start of 2013 with additional investment of INR3.5 billion.[14] Series production started in June 2012 with the 2523R truck; sales began in September 2012.[15]

Currently BharatBenz has over 2500 employees including both Indian and German staff. Localization rate for BharatBenz truck is 85%[12] with more than 450 local suppliers out of which 41 per cent are based in Tamil Nadu and 44 per cent are in rest of the country, with an aim to exceed 90%.[14]

Daimler has test driven its trucks a distance of 4.5 million km in various conditions at its test track in Oragadam.[12]

Research & Development facility

DICV set up a fine research and development facility at Oragadam manufacturing plant with initial investment of INR12 billion.[16]

Future plans

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daimler News
  2. ↑ The Hindu-BharatBenz trucks from Daimler by mid-2012
  3. ↑ Economic Times - Daimler-Hero JV to start in 2010, make 70,000 trucks
  4. ↑ Daimler News - The Indo-German joint venture Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles (DHCV)
  5. ↑ Money Control News- Hero pulls out of Rs 4400cr Daimler JV
  6. ↑ Daimler News - Repositioning of the Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles Ltd. joint venture in India
  7. ↑ Hindustan Times - Hero exits truck J-V with Daimler, citing slowdown
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 BharatBenz News - Daimler Reveals Its First Truck "Made in India"
  9. ↑ Daimler News - Daimler Unveils BharatBenz – An Exclusive Brand for its Trucks in India
  10. ↑ ZigWheels - BharatBenz reveals 'Made in India' truck
  11. ↑ AutoCarIndia - BharatBenz's 17 new products
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 BharatBenz News - Daimler India Commercial Vehicles unveils Test Track at Oragadam, near Chennai
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Financial Express - DICV to roll out BharatBenz trucks by Q3 2012
  15. ↑ "Right on schedule: First series-produced BharatBenz truck rolls off the assembly line". Daimler AG. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Business Line - Daimler India working on new range of buses to take on Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BharatBenz.