The much-awaited Mahindra Navistar trucks rolled out of its Chakan plant as scheduled on June 14. The first vehicle to hit the market is MN25, a 25 tonner multi-axle truck priced at Rs. 14.99 lakhs. Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL) first showcased its entire range of trucks at Auto Expo 2010 earlier this year.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, observed: “This is a moment of great pride for us as the very first new product rolls out of our Chakan plant. The plant is one of the most modern ones in India and is said to create new benchmarks in automotive excellence. This plant will also help drive tremendous synergies for Mahindra Navistar with the upcoming vendor park, the common utilities and reduction in capex. We will soon be launching the rest of our HCV range from here as well.”
In 2005, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and International Truck and Engine Corporation, the operating company of Navistar, entered into a JV agreement to manufacture light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles for India as well as global markets. The joint venture is in the process of addressing every segment of the commercial vehicle market, from 3.5 tonne GVW to 49 tonne GVW with variants of passenger transport, cargo and specialized load applications. Mahindra Navistar aims to expand its product line over the next two years to emerge a full range commercial vehicle player.
The entire range of medium and heavy commercial vehicles is being manufactured at the new greenfield plant at Chakan which covers over 700 acres. Set up at an investment of over Rs. 4,000 crores it will produce other M&M products as well. This will help MNAL leverage the benefits of synergies of an integrated manufacturing facility.
MNAL also has export plans on cards for its trucks which will initially happen in neighbouring countries. According to the JV agreement, the trucks are for sale in all parts except North America. The company will also look at launching a left-hand-drive and has planned a ramp-up in exports by 2012.
Mr. Rakesh Kalra, Managing Director, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL), said the launch of the MN25 truck marked a major step in the direction of making the company a full range commercial vehicle player and the first step in materializing the vision to become the most trusted CV brand in India.
“In line with our philosophy of offering a value-for-money proposition to our customers, the MN25 is very competitively priced. The high performance MN25 is one of the most powerful, fuel-efficient, rugged and comfortable 25-tonners to be launched in India. Designed and developed in India with technological assistance of Navistar, the MN25 comes with a world-class cabin which is spacious and ergonomically designed to suit Indian drivers for continuous long hauls. It’s powered by the world-renowned MaxxForce engine which is highly fuel efficient and powerful”, he added.
The MN 25 comes with a payload of 16 tonnes. The truck, fitted with MaxxForce 7.2 litre 210 hp engine, is provided with factory-built cabins with the option of single or double sleeper cabin and air-conditioning.Advanced MaxxForce engine
At the heart of this range of vehicles is the world renowned MaxxForce diesel engine. This family of engines is most modern in its class in terms of product configuration as well as components technology for the commercial vehicle segment in India. In order to make them more suitable to Indian conditions the engines have been suitably modified.
The engine features both a mechanical injection system with a Bosch rotary pump as well as a high-pressure 1800 bar common-rail fuel injection system. The MaxxForce 7.2 diesel engine to be produced in India is also fully compliant with BS-III and BS-IV emission standards. It outperforms the competition by offering 15 per cent more power and 35 per cent more torque.
It has a well-engineered drivetrain with superior efficiency and durability, organic clutch lining with best-in-class life, rugged propeller shaft and rear axle. The heavy duty brakes with wider shoes and 10 bar system pressure ensure reliable braking.
The entire range of tests have been conducted to build reliability and endurance in Mahindra Navistar trucks which have been extensively tested on specially developed torture tracks to ensure durability beyond a million km and have been validated for actual usage of lakhs of km on Indian roads. These workhorses also feature a strong and durable suspension, rugged chassis aggregates, robust brakes and heavy duty axles matching the superior torque and delivering better life.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Nalin Mehta, Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd., observed: “During the unveiling, we had promised that ‘OK will no longer be OK’ and the MN25 will revolutionize the trucking industry. In every aspect of the truck, the MN25 symbolizes this philosophy and will help our customers outperform and prosper in their businesses and life. Our value-for-money pricing strategy, coupled with far superior product performance itself, will help customers earn higher profits and better return on their investments. Having started production, we are focused on the sales and service infrastructure and filling the pipelines with our products”.
On the distribution front, Mahindra Navistar is in the process of creating a customer-centric network of exclusive dealerships across the country. Moreover, Mahindra’s already existing network will be deployed for servicing the customer needs. Mahindra Navistar has put in place an extensive sales and service network to cater to its customers. Besides, it will also draw on the vast pool of M&M auto and tractor channel partners to use as an extended network for servicing customers needs.
And to top it all, Mahindra Navistar has set up a 24x7, multi-lingual call centre which is manned by trained truck experts to provide on-road support to customers.
