DICV rolls out construction & mining range

Chennai: Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has launched its BharatBenz construction and mining range of heavy duty trucks consisting of the HX and Torqshift series models. Already the company has seeded around 200 trucks in the last six months as part of customer trials. Said Satyakam Arya, MD & CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, “India’s construction and mining sector continues to be one of our strongest business pillars. Many fleets are 8 to 10 years old and are reaching their end-of-life, creating a major replacement cycle.” The new range, he added, has helped reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) by 15% to 20%. DICV, he added, has redesigned critical components like axles and suspension systems, increased horsepower by 40 HP, ensured bearings for life among other changes.The new range of trucks will also be exported. “We are doing feasibility studies market by market and over the nexr six to nine months we will decide on which markets will be a right fit,” he added. Already Indonesia is a promising market, he said.The truck industry has been a little subdued so far this fiscal but from September onwards there should be better growth. “We see the industry clocking upto 5% growth this financial year but in the mid to long term the replacement cycle will kick in so growth will increase,” he said.