Major Milestone: Daimler hits mark of 50,000 BharatBenz trucks in India

Less than five years after its market introduction, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles is passing a major milestone: 50,000 BharatBenz trucks are already on Indian roads. In addition, more than 10,000 trucks have been exported to more than 30 markets since. This kind of ramp-up has never been achieved by another market entrant in India before. BharatBenz was created specifically for the Indian market. The Indian Commercial Vehicles brand from Daimler also recently completed the full-range portfolio update with the launch of the all-new BharatBenz heavy-duty range. Furthermore, India has become an important export hub for Daimler Trucks since 2013. Export numbers have doubled for several years in a row and build the ground for the next big step: The start of a new sub-9-ton truck for markets in the Middle East in the third quarter this year.

Strong standing in the world’s toughest CV market

With the market launch of the BharatBenz brand, Daimler had dared a bold step into the world’s toughest commercial vehicle market – dominated by long standing domestic brands. This courage pays off now: While India had not even been part of the Top Ten markets for Daimler Trucks until 2014, it now ranks as fifth important market for Daimler Trucks worldwide – with 13,100 units sold in 2016.

Global hub serving more than 30 markets with export vehicles

Besides the strong domestic standing, India serves as an important export hub: 10,000 trucks have been exported from DICV’s state-of-the-art production plant at Oragadam near Chennai since the start of the vehicle exports in June 2013. In 2016, exports from India again doubled up to more than 4,000 units. The FUSO and Mercedes-Benz vehicles for export are manufactured on the same production lines as the domestic BharatBenz portfolio. The trucks already get exported to more than 30 markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Within this year, this number will grow up to 40 markets on three continents, including Bahrain and markets in Africa and Latin America. All exported trucks are leading in terms of safety, reliability and efficiency and fulfil the diverse requirements of customers in the different target markets.