Swedish truck maker Volvo Trucks expects its India business to grow 25 per cent this year compared with 2013. The company has sold over 630 units between January and October.

In the premium segment, the company has about 65 per cent market share. Since the launch of its Indian operations, Volvo Trucks has sold over 9,000 units in the country, Philippe Divry, President for Volvo India, and Senior Vice-President of the Volvo Group, told BusinessLine. “We are seeing that once customers realise the value of buying Volvo products, they become our repeat customers.”

The new range

Divry has also unveiled the new range of Volvo trucks at a news conference in Bangalore. The flagship FH trucks, launched for the Indian market, has features such as automated gear box to take on tough and rugged mining operations. The company will also introduce its Dynafleet telematics system, which helps operators track their fleet on real time.

Rama Rao AS, Volvo Trucks Senior Vice-President and Head of Sales, Marketing and After Market, said majority of the engines in the trucks do not need any overhaul until they are phased out. Hence, the acquisition cost is no longer the only criteria for customers while buying Volvo trucks.

Vinod Aggarwal, CEO of VE Commercial Vehicles, a joint venture between Eicher and Volvo Trucks, said with the revival of the economy, there has been a 15 per cent increase in sales in the heavy duty segment. With the coal ministry forecasting that the coal production will increase to 1 billion tonnes from 700 mt last year, the mining sector is expected to get a huge boost during the year, he added.

Out of the five Volvo group brands, only Eicher and Volvo truck brands have been introduced so far in the country.

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