For decades Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland have worked as a duopoly in the trucks market. Their trucks remained much the same in technology, and no one seemed to mind. The Indian market was like that.
A mid-sized jolt was delivered when Volvo entered India with buses. These became an instant hit, and were far superior to the buses made on Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors chassis, the same were also used for making trucks.
A mid-sized jolt was delivered when Volvo entered India with buses. These became an instant hit, and were far superior to the buses made on Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors chassis, the same were also used for making trucks.
Once Volvo actually showed what new technology could do to buses, attention was automatically drawn to trucks. It generated a great deal of interest among foreign automotive giants. One by one, the biggest of them began to come in.
Volvo, the busmaker is now turning truckmaker in conjunction with Eicher. Daimler, which originally taught Tata Motors how to make trucks, is back in India on its own. Its trucks will debut on Indian roads next month.
Then there are others: Navistar, Isuzu, Scania and MAN, names that can deal a mean punch to the existing duopoly. Plus, there is a homegrown company, Asia Motor Works (AMW) that is also raring to go.
Tata Motors acknowledges what it is up against. In the last annual report of the company, Rata Tata said: “Tata Motors’ predominance in commercial vehicles will be challenged by international brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Navistar.”
The main challenge comes in the form of technology. Here are two examples of the cutting-edge technology Daimler is packing into its Indian trucks:l Engine brakes along with the conventional brakes. This adds to driving convenience, as the conventional brake pedal does not have to be slammed hard as now.
No comments:
Post a Comment