Irizar-TVS' state-of-the-art plant inaugurated

Irizar-TVS, a joint venture company of Ashok Leyland, T V Sundram Iyengar & Sons Ltd. and Irizar S Coop of Spain, has opened its new state-of-the-art facility at Viralimalai near Trichy. The new plant was inaugurated by Mr. K.N. Nehru, Tamil Nadu Minister for Transport, in the presence of Mr. R. Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, Mr. Jose Manuel Orcasitas, Director, and Mr. R. Dinesh, Executive Director, Irizar-TVS.

The new facility has been established at an investment of Rs. 30 crores, with a capacity to produce 180 buses per month. With this new facility Irizar-TVS has expanded its capacity from the present 1,200 to 2,200 buses per annum.

Mr. Seshasayee said on the occasion: “It is our intention to grow Irizar-TVS because of the combined strengths we have between Irizar, AL and TVS to look at as many offerings in the coach and bus segment”.

Irizar-TVS was incorporated in 2001 with manufacturing facilities at Viralimalai and Pudukkottai. The bus body building division has been in operation since 1981 as part of Sundaram Industries with its three plants in Madurai, Pudukottai and Vralimalai. In 2001, Ashok Leyland joined hands with TVS, and in 2003 the tripartite JV agreement by TVS, AL and Irizar. The Vralimalai and Pudukottai plants are now part of the JV.
In the last eight years, the JV was primarily catering to the requirement of Ashok Leyland’s bus business in the domestic and export market and to a few private operators. With an annual capacity of 1,200 buses, the JV could not exploit the full market potential for buses in India. Therefore, the Board took a decision to expand the capacity to cater not only to the requirements of Ashok Leyland but also to many of the private customers who typically buy the chassis from AL and get the body built from external fabricators.

Mr. Dinesh said: “We wish to partner AL not only in India but also in the export markets. We are already supplying fully-built buses and kits to the new plant in Ras-el-kaimah”.

The new facility has a built-up area of 2 lakh sq. ft. with three production lines and seven paint booths. The facility also has a shower test bay that simulates extreme weather condition in which the finished coach is checked for water leak. The various sub-assemblies and bus/coach assembly are carried out under one roof. The plant makes Irizar-TVS on par with some of the best body building facilities in India.
Irizar-TVS has the capacity and the expertise to build the complete range of buses, starting from the top-end luxury coach to the low-floor and semi low-floor city buses. In fact, Ashok Leyland’s top end luxury coach Luxura was developed based on Irizar’s globally successful platform, Inter-century, and this is built at the Irizar-TVS facility. The company currently builds most of Ashok Leyland’s requirement for the Middle East, including sub assemblies and components for the new AL plant at Ras-el-kaimah. Irizar-TVS is also executing part of the JNNURM order for city buses awarded to Ashok Leyland.

The new facility raises the total capacity of the Viralimalai plant to 2,200 coaches. The modern infrastructure for R&D and Coach building enables the company to bench mark processing time to international standards and enhance production on a continuous basis. Fixturisation would help the company ensure mass production to world class quality. The plant would enable multi-variant products to be manufactured under a single roof.
The modem facilities will enhance the company’s ability to compete in the domestic market and other strongly growing export markets including Asia.

Ashok Leyland is looking at Irizar-TVS as a partner in progress in the bus segment. AL has a target to sell 18,000 to 20,000 buses for the financial year 2010-11 out of which 50 to 60 per cent would be fully built buses. This includes both the domestic and export market. Which means the company is looking at volumes of roughly 10,000 fully built buses for the coming year.

In terms of capacity for bus body building, AL has the Alwar plant which is primarily catering to the city bus segment. The other option available in the domestic market is the Irizar-TVS. Hence the additional capacity created at Irizar-TVS will be fully utlilised in the coming years and the JV partners will need to further expand the capacity considering the market potential, added Mr. Seshasayee.

Seshasayee appeal for continued Govt. support to JNNURM program

Speaking to media at the inaugural event, Mr. R. Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, observed: “The JNNURM program which has given tremendous amount of satisfaction to commuters, because of better quality and comfortable buses, should not be looked at as a stimulus package given to the commercial vehicle industry for one year alone. This project has to be continued, and we need to have budgetary allocation to support this.

If the program is not continued, then commuters are going to feel deceived as in the coming years the STUs, due to lack of support from the Central Government, are very likely to add lesser number of vehicles with much lesser level of specifications and quality requirements. It may not be fair to go back on the commitment given to the commuters”.

Mr. Seshasayee further said: “Bus transportation and more importantly public transportation particularly in cities is going to be an extremely important part of Urban renewal program. You cannot take the burden out of our roads and our transportation system without a good, sound and comfortable public transportation system. The logical step forward will be to take the JNNURM to the next level of providing inter-modal transportation solutions by linking electronically several modes of transportation. We are at striking distance from revolutionising Public transport in our cities. All that is required is a thrust coming from the state and central government and the JNNURM is a fabulous platform to take this to the next stage. Dont stop here and take things back. Take the logical step forward and that will be the most important part of the Urban renewal program as important as water or sewerage”.

Referring to the tremendous growth opportunities in the bus segment, he said: “We are at an inflection point in the growth of the bus industry in the country. Much like what we have seen in China and Brazil, we are very likely to see an explosive growth in bus transportation. Commuters in the city are increasingly exposed to better quality and travel experience and are demanding the STUs to provide good buses and therefore we are seeing the change happening very rapidly. The market in India will continue to be customer driven. It will not accept a standardised product as is the case in most of the developed markets. We believe that the Indian market will continue to be customer driven and we have to cater to the different needs of the customers. For the JNNURM program alone we developed as many as 19 models based on the requirement of the various STUs”.

AL has targeted sale of 18,000 to 20,000 buses during 2010-11, of which 50-60 per cent will be fully-built buses. In the next 3 to 4 years this percentage of fully-built buses could increase to 90 per cent. Therefore the capacity required to cater to this output would be phenomenal.

Currently AL also has its own bus body building facility in Alwar where it will build buses as per its own designs. Currently the Alwar unit is used for building the ultra low-floor city buses and semi low-floor buses for the JNNURM order. The Alwar plant will play an important role in AL’s future plans for the bus business.

The company has also established a bus plant at Ras-el-kaimah, UAE, for which the sub-assemblies are being manufactured at the Irizar-TVS plant. Considering the growth potential, Irizar-TVS will play a very important role in the growth of bus business. Ashok Leyland is also evaluating options to expand its bus manufacturing capacity both in the domestic and international markets.

Newly launched iT09 redefining luxury bus concept

Coinciding with the inauguration of the new plant, Irizar-TVS launched the all-new iT09 luxury coach for inter-city transportation. The iT09 has been designed by Irizar-TVS with very strong support from Irizar and Ashok Leyland, says Mr. Seshasayee, AL Managing Director.

From its very look and attractive interior, the iT09 would compare well with any of the top end luxury buses sold in India today. But the positioning of the bus is not against the Volvo’s or the Mercedes. Interestingly the iT09 is targeted at the customer who typically buys a chassis from Ashok Leyland and does the body building at one of the private bus body building units for inter-city application. The idea is to provide a fully-built solution to the customer instead of having to deal with multiple entities.
The iT09 is a 12-metre inter-city coach on Ashok Leyland chassis with both AC and non-AC options. The bus comes fitted with the 180 hp, H series AL engines with seating capacity of 40 for the AC version and 36 for non-AC. It has luggage space of nearly 8 cubic metres. The rigid structure complies to the new regulation of roll-over norm for safety expected to be mandated in India in the near future. The bus is priced at Rs. 22 lakhs plus taxes for bus body building, excluding the cost of the chassis.

Analysing the luxury bus segment in India, we have the top-end dominated by Volvo, with Mercedes making an entry. Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors have also launched products with similar features. The Luxura from Ashok Leyland and the Hispano from Tata Motors are pitted against the Volvo’s and Mercedes but at a lesser price point. But the top-end luxury segment is still limited in numbers. The market size is expected to be around 500 to 600 units per annum.
The larger numbers still remain in the mass market luxury bus segment, which is expected to be around 25,000 to 30,000 units per annum. Customers in this segment still continue to buy chassis from the manufacturer and build the bus bodies at an independent body building unit. It is this segment that AL and Irizar-TVS are targeting.

Instead of having to deal with multiple vendors, customers will now have a single point of contact for sales, service and spares. Also typically the time taken from buying the chassis to putting it on road is around 2 months and this is a very unproductive time for the customer. With a fully built bus, the customer can buy the vehicle and start operating from day 1. It makes more business sense.

Both AL and Irizar-TVS plan to further enlarge the luxury coach range and expect the iT09 to create a niche for itself in the segment.

KKTC offers Fuwa range of trailer axles & suspension

King Kaveri Trading Company (KKTC), a leading distributor of trailer and semi-trailer parts, offers the complete range of Fuwa products in the Indian market. It is also the exclusive distributor for Fuwa products in India.

Guangdong Fuwa Engineering Manufacturing Co. Ltd. is the largest manufacturer and supplier of special parts of semi-trailer in Asia, offering its products to semi-trailer manufacturers and transportation operators with axle, landing gear, suspension system, fifth wheel and kingpin.

KKTC was started five years ago by Mr. Suresh Kumar Arora and Mr. Shashikant Prabhakar Kumbhar, both of whom have years of experience in the transportation industry. One of the group companies, King Sumita Trailers, has established itself as a specialised manufacturer of LPG tankers, skeletal trailers and flat bed trailers. KKTC which is currently doing a turnover of Rs. 35 crores annually and has established a pan-India network for sales and service of trailer parts is catering to more than 1,000 customers across India.
Fuwa has the largest production base of axles and special parts for semi-trailer in the world covering an area of 300,000 sq. metres. The annual production capacity of semi-trailer axle is eight lakh units. In addition, Fuwa has one landing gear automatic production line with an annual capacity of three lakh sets, one air suspension production line with an annual capacity of one lakh sets, and two brake lining production lines with annual capacity of seven million pieces.

Fuwa exports its products to more than 60 countries.

WABCO-TVS wins mandate for supply of braking systems to MNAL

WABCO-TVS (India) Ltd. and Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd. (MNAL) have announced an agreement for development and long-term supply of air compressor technology, products for braking systems and clutch servo technology with series production starting this year.

MNAL, a joint venture in India between Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and Navistar Inc., manufactures a world class range of trucks and tractor trailers that sets new levels of reliability, efficiency and customer value for the commercial vehicle industry. It develops and manufactures commercial vehicles ranging from 3.5 to 49 tons in gross vehicle weight / gross combination weight at its manufacturing facility at Chakan near Pune.

“Our commitment is to develop and deliver an entire spectrum of commercial vehicles that will benefit our customers in ways that until now are unseen and unheard of in our industry. By partnering with WABCO-TVS in India for rigid trucks, we can create and sustain new value in the marketplace through technology innovation that significantly enhances our products for local and export markets alike,” said Mr. Rakesh Kalra, Managing Director, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Ltd.

“We are passionate about partnering with Mahindra Navistar Automotives, as we continue to contribute WABCO’s pioneering engineering and highly reliable products while further growing our position in emerging markets through deep connectivity with customers, powered by our local people and capabilities,” said Mr. Leon Liu, WABCO President, Asia Pacific. “This agreement confirms WABCO’s number one position in air compression technology globally, particularly in India. It also enlarges WABCO’s already broad and successful customer base in Asia.”

“We are proud to partner with Mahindra Navistar Automotives as they move forward to grow their position in high quality commercial vehicles in India and internationally,” said Mr. P. Kaniappan, Managing Director, WABCO-TVS (India) Ltd. “This significant new business with Mahindra Navistar Automotives further leverages the well-anchored leading position of WABCO-TVS in the local market and our ability to maximize value for our customers through improved vehicle safety, increased fuel efficiency and driver effectiveness.”

WABCO-TVS is the winner of the 2009 India Manufacturing Excellence Award (IMEA) with “Super Platinum” distinction, presented by The Economic Times in partnership with Frost & Sullivan. It is also the winner of the 2009 Gold Award for Manufacturing Excellence from the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA).

Kendrion Linnig to start India operations

A couple of years ago, Dr. Uwe Sporl, General Manager of Kendrion Linnig GmbH was in India to do a feasibility study on the Indian market. After participating in the Busworld Show in Mumbai, he was seriously considering the possibility of setting up operations in India. The company has moved quite fast, and despite the global recession, Kendrion Linnig has decided to set up a manufacturing facility in India.

Mr. Ralph Kieser, Head of Sales & Marketing, Kendrion Linnig GmbH, says the company is now in the process of setting up its Indian entity in the next 5 to 6 months and will start local production. It has already identified local vendors for the Indian project.

Kendrion Linnig is a global leader in the manufacture of electromagnetic solutions. The company offers complete system solutions for the commercial vehicle and bus / coach industry, which include not only the mechanical drive, but also the electronic control system. Mr. Sameer Deshmukh has been appointed as the Country Manager responsible for Indian operations.

Mr. Kieser says: “The motivation to set up a facility in India is the upcoming changes in emission norms for commercial vehicles from BS2 to BS3 across the country and from BS3 to BS4 in 11 metros starting from April 2010. We are planning to offer products and technologies which are not available in the Indian market. The products are very sophisticated and offer higher cooling performance.”

“Our products will result in fuel savings of 2.8% which has been already verified by our customers. This becomes a big market driver as it results in significant cost saving for the operator. Our products also results in reduced CO2 emissions of close 500 kg per month. We are talking of half a tonne of reduced CO2 emissions and that again becomes an important consideration. We are offering a solution to the market that is superior, durable and offers better cooling performance”, adds Mr. Kieser.

Kendrion Linnig is already working very closely with many of the OEMs in the India commercial vehicle segment both for trucks and buses. The company’s product range is focussed on electromagnetic drives, fan drives, motion vibration dampeners, tensioners as well as angle gear drives and couplings for air compressor assemblies.

Globally, Kendrion Linnig has increased its presence considerably. Apart from its existing facilities in the US, China, Mexico and Brazil, the company is now looking at additional regions and milestones. “The next logical step for the company was to enter the Indian market. There is a need in the Indian market for a technology that we can support and this is superior to the technology available in the market right now”, Mr. Kieser adds.
The company is planning to start with a team of 15 to 20 people working in the new facility which is most likely to come up in Pune. To start with, it will be an assembly facility. Initially investment will be made on assembling and testing equipment.

Mr. Kieser said: “Our philosophy is to support the market locally. We are very convinced with the market potential in India and the response from the customers has been very encouraging and we are working with them to reach the timelines”.

Globally Kendrion Linnig is investing a lot on technology. A further contribution on reducing fuel consumption and thus emissions was achieved through further development of the Linnig compressor clutch, which is now also available in a 2-speed version. Particularly in countries with high temperatures, the possibility of demand-actuated A/C compressor control promises a crucial advance in terms of energy efficiency and driver/passenger comfort and convenience. The high-drive functionality enables swift cooling-down, while energy savings can accordingly be realized when cooling-capacity requirements are low. For this innovation, customers can rely on the company clutch technology.

“For over 30 years, Linnig compressor clutches have set the highest standards when it comes to efficiency and effectiveness. We have transferred this expertise on to our 2-speed solution”, added Henning Diel.

Further development of proven Linnig technologies would also be relied on for the new generation of angle transmissions. Here, further improvements of service life and noise behaviour can be achieved in combination with a preceding 2- or 3-speed Linnig fan clutch. Apart from this, stall visitors got solutions, particularly utilizable for the state-of-the-art engine technologies of Euro 5 and Euro 6 with brand new high-speed deflection roller as well as star products on torsional vibration damper solutions.

Jamna Auto setting up plant for air suspension systems

In December 2008, Jamna Auto Industries Ltd. (JAI) entered into a technical assistance agreement with Ridewell Corporation of the US for manufacturing air suspension systems and components based on technical information provided by Ridewell. The technical JV between Jamna and Ridewell has progressed well, and Jamna is now setting up a manufacturing facility at an investment of Rs. 35 crores next to its existing plant in Chennai. Of this, Rs. 20 crores will be invested in phase 1 and the balance investment will be made by 2012”, according to Mr. Sunil Laroiya, Vice President, International Business & Engineering, Jamna Auto Industries Ltd.

Ridewell is providing the complete engineering and design support for the JV, and while most of the components will be manufactured in India, a few critical components will be imported from the US.

Ridewell is a $43 million global player. It is a major manufacturer and supplier of air suspension systems for buses, trucks and trailers. Its truck and trailer suspensions are mostly for the heavy duty applications of Class 6, 7, and 8 vehicles. The company is also expanding into the light duty market with new products such as the “Featheride” trailer air suspension and light duty offerings for the bus industry.

Ridewell supplies truck suspension systems to Peterbilt, Mack, Navistar, Kenworth, Mercedes, Hyundai, MAN, etc., and R.V. air suspensions to OEMs like Blue Bird, El Dorado National, Optima, Thomas Built, Krystal Enterprises and Encava, and Country Coach for vehicles ranging from low-floor shuttles and heavy duty transits to high-end motorcoaches.

In India, Jamna is initially starting with development of air suspension for buses. The company is working closely with Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland and VECV for developing air suspension systems for the complete range of buses, including low-floor, semi low-floor and high-floor buses. In addition to air suspension system for buses it is also working with commercial vehicle manufacturers for lift axle and bogie suspension for 9-tonne, 26-tonne and 32-tonne trucks.

The biggest advantage for Jamna is its strong connections with Indian OEMs. India’s largest spring manufacturer with four units, JAI introduced the parabolic springs technology in India way back in 1988. About 95 per cent of European trucks run on parabolic springs, whereas in India a switch-over from traditional conventional springs to parabolic springs in heavy commercial vehicles has just started.
Started as a partnership firm in 1955, JAI is one of the top seven suppliers of commercial vehicle leaf & parabolic springs in the world. With a share of 60 per cent in the domestic market, it is a leading supplier of springs to a lot of OEMs like Eicher Motors. With its current capacity of 114,000 mtp per annum, it is going ahead with its 60,000 mtp greenfield plant at Jamshedpur to cater to Tata Motors’ needs.

Jamna Auto’s customers include Ashok Leyland, Eicher Motors, Volvo, Swaraj Mazda, Ford India, General Motors, Suzuki and Toyota. Its products have been approved by reputed OEMs worldwide like Daimler, Volvo, General Motors and Ford.

There is growing demand for air suspension systems in India, with a market size of close to 4,000 units. Currently there are a few companies in this segment like Wheels India, Madras SAF Holland and Hendrickson. Wheels India continues to dominate the market with over 90 per cent market share.

For Jamna Auto, its a natural step forward. The company is the market leader in leaf springs and parabolic springs, with very strong relationship with most of the domestic OEMs. The tie-up with Ridewell will help Jamna Auto enter this fast growing segment.

Mr. Laroiya says: “We have developed our products after extensive discussions with OEMs understanding their requirement. We are ready with the proto types and by June 2010 the products will be available. We are starting with the low floor buses initially and then move to the other range of products. We pride ourselves on offering better features. We have vast knowledge on bus design, suspension and on how to design to provide maximum design and comfort”.

Mr. Laroiya adds: “We expect in the next 4 to 5 years all buses will be on air suspension. Today, the bus market is close to 40,000 buses a year and the air suspension requirement is around 1,200 kits a month. Our expectation is in the next 3 to 4 year the bus market will be 60 to 70,000 units and most of these buses will be on air suspension. We are then talking of volumes of close to 5,000 units per month only for buses. Add to that trucks and trailers, there is a huge opportunity unfolding”.

Indico Motors expanding capacity to meet OEM’s requirement

The Indian tipper segment is expected to touch annual volumes of 100,000 units in the next 2 to 3 years. Within the commercial vehicle industry, this is the segment which has matured faster than the other segment and can be compared to other developed markets in terms of product specifications and operating practices. Particularly in deep mining applications, the European manufacturers like Volvo, Mercedes and Scania have had a lot of success in the past decade.

High quality tipper trucks need equally high quality tipper bodies and this where the tipper body fabrication industry also felt the need to raise the levels of quality and started moving from a highly unorganized segment to a level which is today comparable to global standards.

Today, the Indian market can boast of some high quality application providers, and one such company is the Jamshedpur-based Indico Motors Pvt. Ltd. Established in 1989 by Mr. Sanjay Dubey, Indico Motors has two manufacturing units in Jamshedpur and one in Bangalore. The company manufactures tippers, trailers, tip trailers, containers, car carriers, and bulkers. When it started operation in 1989, the aim of the company was to bridge the gap between demand for and supply of tippers and trailers among the country’s leading truck manufacturers. The company has a capacity to manufacture 3,000 tippers annually.

Mr. Sanjay Dubey says: “Our strong point is quality supported by our excellent service network which has helped meet our customer requirements by delivering the products on time. This commitment has enabled us to achieve greater efficiency and attract more customers”.

Indico Motors has established a pan-India sales and service network and is particularly strong in the eastern and north-eastern regions comprising Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

Today, the name Indico Motors has become synonymous with high quality tippers in the Indian market. The company has also been recognized as a supplier of durable products for the mining segment.

With manufacturers looking to offer fully-built solutions, Indico Motors’ facility at Jamshedpur, close to that of Tata Motors, gives an added advantage. The company is also in the process of setting up a new manufacturing facility near Bangalore, which will have much higher capacity. This will help the company in catering to OEMs and other private customers in the South.

Surging demand for School Buses

There has been a big surge in demand for school buses, as evident in the growing number of enquiries from schools all over the country. Vehicles in demand range from simple 10 or 15-seater elementary type of buses to low-floor, air-conditioned buses.

The typical buying season is during March-July when schools and colleges shop for buses. There are an estimated 300,000 schools in India, of which only a small percentage provide bus service. However, of late, this percentage is going up. As schools get set for the new academic year, bus manufacturers are also gearing up to meet the growing demand. Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, VECV, Force Motors, Swaraj Mazda and Mahindra Navistar are now eyeing the school bus market.

It is estimated that of the 60,000 buses sold in India annually, schools account for nearly 10,000, which is close to 20 per cent of the total bus market. Manufacturers like Tata Motors, Mahindra, VECV, Swaraj Mazda and JCBL have developed specific range of buses for this segment, with special features that guarantee safety and comfort for school children. They have even developed a brand identity for their school bus range.

The Government has also put in place some guidelines to be followed for school buses. The new rules and regulations will be in force from the start of next academic year.

A first-aid box, fire-extinguisher, space under the seat for the school-bag, horizontal window grills and door locks are now mandatory for all school buses. In addition, they should be easily identifiable with the school’s telephone number painted on the body. The new regulation also stipulates that school buses should have details of the blood group and contact number of the school children. Many schools have also opted for on-board tracking system to keep track of the movement of the vehicle.

School buses are getting highly sophisticated, and both the schools and parents of children are prepared to pay a premium towards better travel safety and comfort.

Herewith are details about the range of school buses offered by different vehicle manufacturers. This may be a ready-reckoner for schools and colleges to decide on the bus that suits them.

Volvo Buses’ formal foray into north Indian cityscape

Volvo has made its impressive foray into the North Indian cityscape with a committed supply of 15 buses for the Faridabad Inter-City Bus Service. The Volvo bus service was flagged off at Faridabad by the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in the presence of Mr. Akash Passey, Managing Director of Volvo Buses India Private Ltd., and senior State Government officials.

Under the City Bus Service Scheme financed under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, 150 modern buses will be operated from Faridabad City. Of these, 45 are air-conditioned and the remaining non-AC. The bus services are proposed to be extended up to Palwal, Delhi and Gurgaon.

Volvo Buses India is already partner with nine major cities, including Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, for supply of modern buses for city and inter-city transport system. However, Faridabad, which is just next door to Delhi, is its first official city association in North India. The launch signals Volvo’s determined push for a bigger share in the northern city market.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Passey said that as Indian cities are undergoing a make-over and putting in place a modern, safe and convenient city and inter-city public transport system, Volvo is emerging the safe preferred choice due to its inherent strengths, safety records, latest technology and excellent maintenance support system. Volvo buses are also designed to inspire personal transport users to switch over to public transport system.

“Volvo is not sold merely as a bus. A Volvo bus is meant to support a city’s ambition over a long-period - for better quality of life, sustainable mobility where public transport is popular and helps people reduce dependency on personal vehicles. This simple shift can have a profound impact in reducing the level of congestion in a city; reduce safety risks on road, overall emissions and overall fuel consumption”, he added.

Volvo city buses are being built at the manufacturing complex near Bangalore which is today one of the most advanced bus factories in the region. The buses are also backed by Volvo after-market support and driver training where over 18,000 drives have already been trained.

Volvo Buses has been present in India for more than eight years now and the company has the richest experience when it comes to high-performing bus applications, with a successful development of the inter-city bus segment. This, coupled with its latest state-of-the-art factory and overall profile of being a complete transport solutions provider, gives it a unique ability to be in the best position to understand the needs of the Indian market and configure products accordingly.

In Bangalore city, Volvo buses move people wherein the majority of passengers inside are those who would typically use their personal vehicles if not for a Volvo. This, in effect, means that one Volvo with even half the passengers is equal to 35 cars – saving that much road space; fuel consumption and associated emissions. It’s safer too. Between the Bangalore airport and the city, majority of domestic passengers take the Volvo Airport Buses and are today reducing over 45,000 car movements each month.

Technology, innovation, safety and comfort

Behind Volvo City Buses’ immense popularity among citizens lies sustainable and modern technology that promises to provide safe and caring transport that lasts a long time through a city’s development phases.

Produced in Bangalore at the Volvo Factory, these buses bring with them the world’s latest safety features including: Automatic Transmission; Electronic Braking system; anti-roll; front under-run protection device; Disk Brakes; electro-pneumatic safety doors; anti-skid protection, hill start aid with grade ability, brake temperature, warning, poor brake performance warning. Features that help not only to protect passengers but other vehicles on the road too.

The automatic transmission assures fatigue-less driving for drivers and a better bus ride for passengers. The low turning radius helps the bus move through crowded traffic with ease. The right power-to-weight ratio of the engine allows quick deceleration & acceleration across various terrains. The retarder system ensures that the bus movement, including braking is almost jerk-free for passengers. The Electronic Air Suspension takes bus comfort to a new level. Of course, the Volvo buses’ in-climate control alongwith the above features provides an excellent environment to passengers making it a perfect setting to opt for a public transport over personal transport.

The Volvo city bus on trial is disabled-friendly, providing easy step less entry and features within for wheel chairs.

Volvo city buses are today part of most successful city bus systems in the world, including London, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Curitiba, Mexico, Finland, Sweden, Singapore and many more. In India it is already official partner in cities like Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Mysore, Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram.

Volvo Bus Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers of large buses and coaches. The range comprises complete vehicles, chassis, bus bodies, transport system solutions for metropolitan traffic, leasing, financing and service contract maintenance. Volvo Bus Corporation is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services. The group also provides complete solutions for financing and service.