Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (PVPL), specialising in light transportation vehicles, has introduced the Ape Truk Plus – a 4-wheel cargo truck in the one-tonne (1,000 kg) category. The vehicle which was recently launched in Chennai will be introduced in all other major markets over a period. The ‘plus’ in the name stands for better mileage and power.
The vehicle comes fitted with 870cc twin cylinder engine manufactured by Greaves and a five-speed gearbox. With a bigger loading area and higher ground clearance, it boasts of a mileage of 22 km/litre.
Commenting on the new vehicle, Mr. Ravi Chopra, Chairman & Managing Director of Piaggio India, said: “The Ape Truk Plus, the second in our range of 4-wheeler solutions, sets new standards in the one-ton 4-wheeler segment. It offers high levels of fuel efficiency and mileage without compromising on power. In fact, this vehicle is an amalgum of power and mileage that is unique in its category. I believe customers looking for significant levels of value for money should find this vehicle a smart choice”.
Piaggio launched its 4-wheeled mini truck Ape Truk a couple of years ago. The company has so far sold over 16,000 units. The Ape Truk is a sub-one tonner mini-truk with a carrying capacity of 865 kg. It is powered by a single-cylinder 482cc engine. Both the Ape Truk and Ape Truk Plus have been launched in the cargo segment. The company is planning to launch the passenger version in 2010.
Mr. Ashutosh Khosla, Director - Sales & Marketing, is highly optimistic of the future of the Ape Truk Plus. He said: “The Truk Plus is a tailor-made solution at the mid level of the 4-wheeler cargo category that should become a trend-setter at this price-point. True to our tradition of selling solutions and not products, we believe the Ape Truk Plus is an optimal solution in the one-ton transport category. Our 12-month warranty and eight free services bear testimony to our confidence in this vehicle”.
Piaggio now offers two models in the 4-wheeler mini-truk category, the Ape Truk, which is a sub-one tonner priced at Rs. 2.25 lakhs and the Ape Truk Plus, which is a one-tonner, priced at 2.76 lakhs. The market size of 4-wheeled mini truks is around 9,000 units per month, with the Tata Ace commanding a major share of the market. Piaggio currently has a 10 per cent market share in the segment.
Piaggio is the pioneer of light transportation solutions in India, offering a range of three- and four-wheeled vehicles that are customized to meet the diverse transportation needs. Today these constitute a vital link in secondary and territory distribution across the country.
Piaggio’s range of Ape 3-wheelers have revolutionalised the light transportation business and provided a meaningful livelihood to lakhs of small and medium entrepreneurs. Piaggio’s undisputed leadership in the segment is borne out by its market share of 42 per cent and customer base of over eight lakhs.
Aerodynamically designed at the advanced Piaggio R&D Centre, Truk Plus ensures smooth and effortless movement of loads. Its bigger load body ensures significantly higher loading volumes. Engineered for higher ground clearance and all-terrain capability, the Truk Plus takes the toughest road conditions in its stride. Its stability and road grip are further enhanced by its 13 inch wider and bigger radial tyres. Three-side openable panels for comfortable loading, front disc brakes and a slew of other thoughtful features make the vehicle plus a winner through and through. And all this comes with sleek contemporary Italian styling and car-like comfort offered by its plus interiors.
Backing up the Ape Truk Plus will be Piaggio’s world class sales and service network of over 850 outlets that consistently provide a comforting circle of trust and confidence to lakhs of Piaggio customers across the country, for 11 years now.
For over a decade now, Piaggio has built a reputation for providing customized solutions for diverse transportation needs. Today, over three lakh tonnes of cargo is transported across India on Piaggio’s Ape three- and four-wheelers. In just 10 years, the company has emerged the leader in the diesel three-wheeler category.
Piaggio has an established capacity of 180,000 units for three-wheelers, which can be increased to 200,000 units based on market demand. For the four-wheeler, the company has established capacity to manufacture 24,000 units which can be ramped up to 48,000 units as per market demand.
Piaggio boasts of a marketshare of well over 50 per cent in the three-wheeler cargo segment and over 40 per cent in the three-wheeler passenger segment. It is also planning to launch a small three-wheeler, perhaps a petrol version, later this year or early next year.
The vehicle comes fitted with 870cc twin cylinder engine manufactured by Greaves and a five-speed gearbox. With a bigger loading area and higher ground clearance, it boasts of a mileage of 22 km/litre.
Commenting on the new vehicle, Mr. Ravi Chopra, Chairman & Managing Director of Piaggio India, said: “The Ape Truk Plus, the second in our range of 4-wheeler solutions, sets new standards in the one-ton 4-wheeler segment. It offers high levels of fuel efficiency and mileage without compromising on power. In fact, this vehicle is an amalgum of power and mileage that is unique in its category. I believe customers looking for significant levels of value for money should find this vehicle a smart choice”.
Piaggio launched its 4-wheeled mini truck Ape Truk a couple of years ago. The company has so far sold over 16,000 units. The Ape Truk is a sub-one tonner mini-truk with a carrying capacity of 865 kg. It is powered by a single-cylinder 482cc engine. Both the Ape Truk and Ape Truk Plus have been launched in the cargo segment. The company is planning to launch the passenger version in 2010.Mr. Ashutosh Khosla, Director - Sales & Marketing, is highly optimistic of the future of the Ape Truk Plus. He said: “The Truk Plus is a tailor-made solution at the mid level of the 4-wheeler cargo category that should become a trend-setter at this price-point. True to our tradition of selling solutions and not products, we believe the Ape Truk Plus is an optimal solution in the one-ton transport category. Our 12-month warranty and eight free services bear testimony to our confidence in this vehicle”.
Piaggio now offers two models in the 4-wheeler mini-truk category, the Ape Truk, which is a sub-one tonner priced at Rs. 2.25 lakhs and the Ape Truk Plus, which is a one-tonner, priced at 2.76 lakhs. The market size of 4-wheeled mini truks is around 9,000 units per month, with the Tata Ace commanding a major share of the market. Piaggio currently has a 10 per cent market share in the segment.
Piaggio is the pioneer of light transportation solutions in India, offering a range of three- and four-wheeled vehicles that are customized to meet the diverse transportation needs. Today these constitute a vital link in secondary and territory distribution across the country.
Piaggio’s range of Ape 3-wheelers have revolutionalised the light transportation business and provided a meaningful livelihood to lakhs of small and medium entrepreneurs. Piaggio’s undisputed leadership in the segment is borne out by its market share of 42 per cent and customer base of over eight lakhs.
Aerodynamically designed at the advanced Piaggio R&D Centre, Truk Plus ensures smooth and effortless movement of loads. Its bigger load body ensures significantly higher loading volumes. Engineered for higher ground clearance and all-terrain capability, the Truk Plus takes the toughest road conditions in its stride. Its stability and road grip are further enhanced by its 13 inch wider and bigger radial tyres. Three-side openable panels for comfortable loading, front disc brakes and a slew of other thoughtful features make the vehicle plus a winner through and through. And all this comes with sleek contemporary Italian styling and car-like comfort offered by its plus interiors.
Backing up the Ape Truk Plus will be Piaggio’s world class sales and service network of over 850 outlets that consistently provide a comforting circle of trust and confidence to lakhs of Piaggio customers across the country, for 11 years now.
For over a decade now, Piaggio has built a reputation for providing customized solutions for diverse transportation needs. Today, over three lakh tonnes of cargo is transported across India on Piaggio’s Ape three- and four-wheelers. In just 10 years, the company has emerged the leader in the diesel three-wheeler category.
Piaggio has an established capacity of 180,000 units for three-wheelers, which can be increased to 200,000 units based on market demand. For the four-wheeler, the company has established capacity to manufacture 24,000 units which can be ramped up to 48,000 units as per market demand.
Piaggio boasts of a marketshare of well over 50 per cent in the three-wheeler cargo segment and over 40 per cent in the three-wheeler passenger segment. It is also planning to launch a small three-wheeler, perhaps a petrol version, later this year or early next year.
Despite tough conditions last year and the beginning of the current year, Piaggio is continuing its success run during the current year as well. The company sold a record 18,000 vehicles in August 2009, the best ever since inception. The company is confident that it will be able to retain its market leadership in the current year as well.
Can you imagine buying a second-hand Volvo FM9 tipper truck for Rs. 5 lakhs? Ever witnessed 200 trucks and construction equipments getting sold in 6 hours flat? It was quite an unimaginable experience at the first-ever Ritchie Bros.’ Indian auction held in Hyderabad on September 25. Tipper trucks and excavators were literally selling like hot cakes. Every 2 minutes a truck or an equipment was getting sold. The whole atmosphere was just electrifying with more than 300 buyers assembling at the auction site. Trucks were paraded like models walking down the ramp. It was an unbelievable and a mind-blowing experience for me.
“It’s like a dream come true for me to hold the fir auction in India”, said Mr. Sameer Malhotra, Country Manager for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. I remember meeting Mr. Sameer a couple of years ago when the company had just then set up an office in India to explore the possibility of conducting auctions. “In less than two years, the first India auction was conducted and the results were beyond what we expected”, he said.
“It was a great auction. We welcomed hundreds of visitors to the auction site, of which more than 200 registered to bid. Even though we welcomed so many new customers, they felt comfortable placing bids and clearly came to Hyderabad to buy equipment. Everyone at the auction, including our own staff, enjoyed the excitement of the first-ever Ritchie Bros. auction in India, and this resulted in a fantastic atmosphere”, Mr. Sameer added.
“This auction proved that the Indian market is ready for our unreserved equipment auctions,” said Mr. Guylain Turgeon, Managing Director for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. “People came in great numbers and were very excited to be part of the event. In the 30 years I’ve been working at Ritchie Bros., I’ve never experienced such overwhelming reactions from a crowd as I’ve experienced at our first auction in India. The bidders had no problem keeping up with the fast pace of the auctioneer and our bid catchers. It’s pretty unique that so many new bidders participated so actively in a first-ever Ritchie Bros. auction in a country. Many of them successfully became the highest bidders and purchased equipment and trucks at fair market value. We’re looking forward to conducting another unreserved public auction in India soon.”
Mercedes-Benz India has launched the third generation Actros 4841K tipper 8X4 heavy duty tipper in the Indian market. The Actros 4840 was launched three years ago, and currently as many as 580 tippers are operating in mines all over India. Some of these tippers have worked for over 16, 000 hours and clocked 2,75,000 km.
“The Actros is a reliable and robust carrier which translates into enhanced productivity. The auto transmission, thoughtful fitments and comfort ensure low driver fatigue; the on-board maintenance system ensures optimized efficiencies while efficient on-site support from Mercedes-Benz ensures that there is minimum downtime. These make the Actros an obvious choice for our mining operations” commented Mr. Ashok Jain, Managing Director, Saumya Mining Pvt. Ltd.
The new Actros comes fitted with a three-millimetre-thick, pressure-tight guard plate for the radiator and engine. This stainless steel component reduces damage in the region of the radiator and engine, while also accentuating the powerful styling of the new mining Actros. The company has also added an improved pivoting entry step. This now also gives way to lateral pressure, offers superb corrosion resistance and can even be retrofitted to the previous models.
The auxiliary brakes are an integral part of the Telligent brake system. This means that both the service brake and the auxiliary brakes are activated when the Actros driver presses the brake pedal. The objective of combining all the brake facilities in the vehicle is, of course, to reduce yet further the wear and tear on the service brake by using non-wearing auxiliary brakes in order to provide a proportion of the stopping power which is being requested.
SPIL has also been continuously striving for innovation and improvement. It introduced self-supporting gas springs for the furniture industry in India in 1994 and launched tail gate gas springs for the automotive industry in 1996.
The company has always strived to be “right on time” – and as a result their customers obtain great confidence in SPIL which made them to enjoy single vendor status with country’s largest & significant OEMs. It is evident that the company has increased its market share from 30 per cent in 2003 to 80 per cent in 2008 in the automotive industry. They are now signing up with other large OEMs operating or getting into the Indian automotive & commercial vehicle market.
