1. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd.
(DICV), a 100 per cent wholly-owned subsidi-
ary of Daimler AG, recently inaugurated its
new bus manufacturing facility at Oragadam
near Chennai, and unveiled its second wave
of products – BharatBenz and Mercedes-
Benz buses – as well as a new range of
BharatBenz high-power engine tippers and
heavy-duty tractors.
New bus plant opened at Oragadam
Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Board of Management
responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses, Mr. Hartmut Schick,
Head of Daimler Buses, Mr. Marc Llistosella, Head of Daimler
Trucks Asia, Mr. Markus Villinger, Managing Director, Daimler
Buses India, Mr. Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO,
Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, and Mr. Mark Nodder,
Chairman and CEO, Wrightbus, were present at the inaugural
function at Oragadam.
India is currently a 50,000-unit market for buses which is set
to just more than double in five years from now. Not to mention
the enormous push from the Government through its initiatives
like the JnNurm, which funds State transport undertakings for
purchase of high quality buses.
Envisaging the huge potential in the Indian market Daimler
has made fresh investments to the extent of Rs. 425 crores at its
Oragadam plant. It has already invested around Rs. 4,400 crores
at its state-of-the-art integrated truck manufacturing plant, in ad-
By Preetham Sri Krishna Vignesh
MOTORINDIA l June 201548
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2. dition to it, the company has
made bus-specific investments
in both chassis line and body
shop along with its Irish part-
ner Wrightbus.
Wrightbus, a British coach
builder and pioneer in low-
floor buses, is the partner of
Daimler in India for bus and
coach bodies and is the first
international bus body builder
to have a manufacturing set-
up in India. Wrightbus has
vast experience in building
small and midi-sized buses to
full-size single deckers, dou-
ble deckers, articulated buses
and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
vehicles.
From left, Mr. Mark Nodder, Chairman and CEO, Wrightbus, Mr. Markus Villinger, Managing Director, Daimler
Buses India, Mr. Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Board of Man-
agement responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses, Mr. Marc Llistosella, Head of Daimler Trucks Asia, and Mr.
Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, give the thumbs-up at the bus
plant inauguration and product unveil
MOTORINDIA l June 2015 49
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3. The new bus manufacturing plant, constructed within the
existing premises of DICV spread across an area of 27.91
acres, will manufacture and assemble buses under two brands –
Mercedes-Benz and BharatBenz. The bus plant’s initial capacity
of 1,500 units can be expanded to 4,000 units subsequently.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard observed:
“We have become firmly established in the Indian market with
our BharatBenz brand, despite only operating in the market
since 2012. We continue to strengthen our presence in the Indian
commercial vehicle market with new products, now also includ-
ing buses. In doing so, we are opening a new chapter of growth.
This investment represents the ongoing pursuit of our strategy of
targeted expansion for our global market presence.”
Mr. Hartmut Schick said: “We see enormous potential
for growth in the Indian market. For example, we expect
the volume of the Indian market for buses weighing over
eight tons to more than double by 2020. Our two-brand
strategy allows us to offer our customers in the region the
right products and services for them.”
Mr. Marc Llistosella stated: “Opening another production fa-
cility and introducing a second wave of products in such a short
time is another testimony for the strength of our Indian opera-
tions. And, in combination with our worldwide FUSO network,
this makes the recipe for sustainable growth at Daimler Trucks
Asia.”
With the opening of the bus facility, DICV’s is the only Daim-
ler plant worldwide to produce trucks, buses and engines for
three brands – Mercedes-Benz, BharatBenz and FUSO – under
one roof. The bus chassis are rolled out from the same assembly
line as of BharatBenz trucks, as they are technologically similar
to the medium-duty BharatBenz trucks. This showcases once
more the flexibility of DICV’s assembly lines.
Mercedes-Benz premium inter-city coach
Mercedes Benz coaches are available in India since 2010.
Daimler had worked with Sutlej of Punjab as its bus body
building partner then and had two coaches – one 12 m and the
Fabrication of individual frame modules
INSIDE THE NEW BUS PLANT
MOTORINDIA l June 201550
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4. other 13.7 m. Mercedes was the second international brand to cater to the
premium inter-city segment, and with its huge brand pull, it was not a
surprise that Mercedes-Benz coaches received fairly good response in the
market. Many fleet operators did charge some premium for Mercedes-Benz
coaches, claiming that a common man might not be able to afford a travel
in Mercedes-Benz car but still can pay for travel by a three-pointed star
coach. Mercedes did manage to quickly crack the STU market by winning
tenders from many STUs, including the erstwhile APSRTC and KaSRTC.
Addressing all major issues in its earlier product, Mercedes-Benz has
now made a comeback and struck again with a new and improved chassis
and an all-new body from Wrightbus. The Mercedes Benz coach will now
officially be the longest inter-city coach in India at 15 m (CMVR mandates
15 m as the longest overall length for rigid multi-axle vehicles). Owing
to the extended length from the previous 13.7 m coach, the chassis now
comes with some notable changes like the tag axle being steerable. Apart
from this, the addition of disc brakes, improved hydrodynamic retarder and
a new polymer fuel tank of capacity 600 L placed just above the rear axle
are of high significance.
Mercedes claims its fuel tank positioning will be the best as far as safety
is concerned. Following some serious accidents in the recent past, most
manufactures are relocating the fuel tank
and realigning fuel circuit to safeguard fuel
spillage from major accidents. A steerable tag
axle is almost mandatory for 15 m coaches,
and Mercedes has gone with it. Disc brakes,
along with engine brakes and retarder, should
definitely offer better braking.
The powertrain is the same as before with
power transmitted via a 6-speed manual
gear box. It might have been good to offer
an automated gear-changing system option as well,
which has now become more of a comfort and safety
feature in all premium coaches. The premium inter-
city coaches now easily touch close to 1,500 km in a
single trip with driver comfort and safety becoming
more pronounced mainly due to automatic transmis-
sion. Though the coaches on display at the launch
were fitted with Pirelli tubeless radials, it is under-
stood that the on-road coaches will be available with
Michelin radials.
The biggest change, however, will be the bus body.
Transit chassis Axle dressing for coach
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5. Wrightbus has pioneered a unique light-weight aluminium
body structure that provides better vehicle stability and sig-
nificantly better controls due to a lower center of gravity of
the vehicle. Almost the entire superstructure above the space
frame is made of ‘Alumnique’, an aluminium alloy which
provides considerable weight reduction, yet providing great
structural stability.
The coach front facia made of FRP has new looks with
a huge star at the centre splitting the grill. The headlights
have now moved vertically upwards with the embrasure now
inspired from Batman. The looks are now completely new
in design from all angles, and it’s indeed a good work by
Wrightbus.
With an in-house paint shop, any custom graphics on the
coach exterior will be done by 3M inside the plant premises.
The seating options can be customized as per the customer
choice, up to 49 seats. It was also said that Daimler won’t
sell the chassis to customers though the possibility of shell
sales for sleeper coaches is not ruled out. The interiors are
improved over the previ-
ous coach, and the space
frame has a higher lug-
gage capacity compared
to 11 cu. m. in the previ-
ous model. The coach
comes with a pantograph-
ic swing luggage door
that greatly helps when
opening in tight spaces.
Mercedes-Benz coach-
es are now completely
backed up by BharatBenz
dealers wherever there is
no direct Mercedes Benz
network. With a lot of
Axle fitment in chassis Completely dressed engine for coach
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6. Engine
Model
Type
Capacity/displacement
Maximum power
Maximum torque
Gearbox
Model
No. of gears
Clutch
Type
Brakes
Type
Electronics
Axles
Front axle
Rear axle
Suspension
Type
Anti-roll bars
Steering
Type
Tyres
Type
Electrical System
System output
Battery
Alternator
Fuel Tank
Capacity
Body Features
Seats
Seat layout/capacity
Floor
Passenger door
Windows
Emergency exit
Emergency kit
Hatrack
4D34i
4 cylinders, vertical in-line, BSlll/IV,
inter-cooled, turbo-charged
3907 cc
140 hp (100 kW) @ 2500 rpm
420 Nm@ 1500 rpm
M036S6, Synchromesh
6 forward and 1 reverse with overdrive
Special organic, single disc, ø330 mm
Dual circuit, full air, S-cam type drum
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Heavy-duty reverse elliot ‘I’ beam
Fully floating type
Parabolic leaf springs at front and rear
Double-acting telescopic shock absorb-
ers and anti-roll bars at front and rear
with stabilisers
Power steering, adjustable and tiltable
235/75 R 17.5 tubeless radials
24 v
2 x 12V, 75 Ah
45 Amps
160 L
Bench type seats with under seat lug-
gage racks, chin guards, handholds
and aisle side hold
3 x 2 layout, 49+1 seats
Marine grade plywood, anti-skid vinyl
top layer
In-swing, manual
2 piece, fully-sliding
Door at rear RHS, rear breakable glass,
side breakable window
Fire extinguisher (5kg x 2), first-aid kit
Tubular
4D34i
4 cylinders, vertical in-line, BSlll/IV,
inter-cooled, turbo-charged
3907 cc
140 hp (100 kW)@ 2500 rpm
420 Nm@ 1500 rpm
M036S6, Synchromesh
6 forward and 1 reverse, with overdrive
Special organic, single disc, 0330 mm
Dual circuit, full air, S-cam type drum
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS}
Heavy-duty reverse elliot ‘I’ beam
Fully floating type Fuel injection pump
Parabolic leaf springs at front and rear
Double-acting telescopic shock ab-
sorbers and anti-roll bars at front and
rear with stabilisers
Power steering, adjustable and tiltable
235/5 R 17 .5 tubeless radials
24 v
2x 12V, 75Ah
45 Amps
160 L
High head rest (HHR} seats with hand
holds
2 x 2 layout, 39+ 1 seats
Marine grade plywood, anti-skid vinyl
top layer
In-swing, manual Rear axle
2 piece, fully-sliding
Door at rear RHS, rear breakable
glass, side breakable window
Fire extiguisher (5kg x 2), first-aid kit
Tubular
4D34i
4 cylinders, vertical in-line, BSlll/IV,
inter-cooled, turbo-charged
3907 cc
170 hp (125 kW)@ 2500 rpm
520 Nm@ 1500 rpm
M036S6, Synchromesh
6 forward and 1 reverse with overdrive
Special organic, single disc, 0330 mm
Dual circuit, full air, S-cam type drum
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
Heavy-duty reverse elliot ‘I’ beam
Fully floating type Fuel injection pump
Parabolic leaf springs at front and rear
Double-acting telescopic shock ab-
sorbers and anti-roll bars at front and
rear with stabilisers
Power steering, adjustable and ti ltable
235/5 R 17.5 tubeless radials
24 v
2x 12V, 75Ah
120Amps
160 L
Extra-wide pushback seats with bot-
tle holder, handholds, armrests, docu-
ment holder
2 x 1 layout, 26+ 1 seats
Marine grade plywood, anti -skid vinyl
top layer
In-swing, automatic
Fixed
Door at rear RHS, rear breakable
glass, side breakable window
Fire extinguisher (5kg x 2), first-aid kit
Modular, integrated service sets with
reading lights, speakers,
adjustable AC vents, call switch
Technical Specification School Bus Staff Bus Tourist Bus
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7. promises and new changes, the Mercedes-Benz coach will again
be a main contender in the premium Inter-city segment from
now on.
BharatBenz ICV buses
It is a planned dual brand strategy by Daimler that the pre-
mium bus segment will be catered to by Mercedes-Benz while
the economical segment will be addressed by BharatBenz front
engine buses. In line with that, BharatBenz has come up with
a range of ICV buses. Though one might have expected a full
range of buses up to 12 m, BharatBenz showcased a range of
ICV buses for school, staff and tourist applications. The chas-
sis is from Fuso Fighter platform a.k.a 914 trucks and is made
in the BharatBenz truck chassis line. Though the
platform is the same, there has been some serious
upgradation and fine-tuning of the chassis to suit
the passenger application. The body coming from
Wrightbus has a lot of parts sharing with Bharat-
Benz trucks with even the head lamps carried over
from it.
The BharatBenz school, staff and tourist buses
come in identical lengths of up to 9.8 m and have
the same wheel base of 5,300 mm. With lesser
front-overhang (FOH), there is no room for pas-
senger entry door here and is possible only in WB
and ROH. Chassis suspension has parabolic springs
and anti-roll bar with shock absorbers at front and
back, which considerably improves the passenger
comfort.
The buses, now provided with ABS as a standard
fitment which is a step ahead of regulation, fully
comply with the bus body code and the school bus
code the and will be available only as fully-built
option and sold and serviced by the existing Bharat-
Benz dealers. The engine options are 4-cylinder
4-litre Diesel BS III/BS IV-complaint ones develop-
ing 140hp and 170hp (for AC). This is by far the highest engine
power in its category. Tyres fitted on the display buses were 235
section tubeless radials from Apollo.
The body is again all aluminium made, built at the Wrightbus
plant within the DICV premises. Seating options are varied with
different lay-outs – 2x2, 2x1 for each application like 26+1 –
tourist application, 39+1 – staff application and 49+1 for school
application. The emergency exit is given on RHS along with
a foldable step which is a good addition and should be a USP.
Rear glass is also breakable in case of emergency.
BharatBenz could claim a little premium over the established
competition in this segment. The school and staff bus segments
Chassis ready to move for body-building
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8. are very price sensitive as these are segments where the buses
do not earn much for the operator but rather only serve the
transportation purpose. So here, the prime buying factor is pric-
ing, which means it should have the lowest cost per seat. Also
here, the running mileage of the buses is fairly less, and so the
maintenance cost should be fairly less. If BharatBenz addresses
these buying factors well, it is certain to replicate its success in
the truck segment in buses as well.
New league of trucks
BharatBenz is now an established brand in the Indian
CV space and is earning good reputation for its range of
products, from 9T to 49T. Now moving up the ladder,
BharatBenz is entering high-power premium segments with
products for deep mining and ODC transportation, under its
Thunderbolt range.
This segment is niche in its way as
the volume is relatively small and has
till now been catered to only by Euro-
pean brands. Deep mining segments
require movement of material from as
low as 200 ft and will be operated in
arduous terrains for almost 24x7. High
engine power is the prime require-
ment, and so are the trucks, now with
430hp powered engines. Tippers now
come with 12 forward speed and 4 re-
verse speed automated gear box. There
are two WB options and with two tip-
per bodies at 19.5 Cu.m and 32 Cu.m
catering to voluminous and bulk load.
It is understood that a lion’s share of
market has already been captured by
these machines, which will be a more
common name in the Indian mining
transportation space soon.
The BharatBenz Thunderbolt truck range has a high-power
puller as well. The 4940T is aimed at transportation of the over
dimensional cargo segment. This 400hp puller is designed
for transporting heavy-lift project cargo in construction and
infrastructure projects that include turbines, heat exchangers,
windmill propellers and various industrial equipments. This
model will be launched in the market later this year.
Mr. Erich Nesselhauf emphasized at the unveil ceremony:
“Since start of production, we have already over 20,000 trucks
on Indian roads. This is a reinforcement of the customers’ ac-
ceptance of our products. India has a lot of natural resources
like coal, iron and other minerals. We expect the Indian tipper
industry to grow substantially by 2020. The 3143 will be a
game changer in the deep mining segment targeting the most
ICV bus body line in body shop Dust-proof paint booth for body painting
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