Hannover Messe: Daimler Presents Extensive India Commitment

STUTTGART/HANOVER -- April 8, 2015: Investment in the hundreds of millions, a truck brand created especially for India and about 3,000 employees in Chennai: Daimler's commercial vehicles business is closely linked to the partner country for this year's Hannover Messe. That is why Daimler is demonstrating its extensive involvement in the sub-continent with a stand at the world's leading industrial show in halls 6 and 16, on April 13 -17, 2015.

"There are already more than a billion people living in India. Their demand for mobility is high - they want to travel by bus and receive prompt deliveries by truck. We are expecting continued growth of the country's population and economy and thus also of the sales market for commercial vehicles," explains Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for trucks and buses. "We at Daimler Trucks and Buses recognized the potential of the Indian market early on and have been utilizing it consistently ever since."

In saying so, Bernhard refers to the investments made by Daimler in India in recent years. Around 700 million euros have gone into the set-up of the Chennai Plant and the BharatBenz truck brand developed especially for the country. The brand stands for robust and reliable vehicles that meet the requirements of local customers. BharatBenz now offers trucks in all major weight categories, from nine to 49 tons. Around two and a half years after the market launch, there are more than 20,000 vehicles in use on Indian roads – which already brings the youngest brand in the Daimler Trucks family into third place in the Indian heavy-duty segment. Last year BharatBenz was also named "Commercial Vehicles Maker of the Year".

“BharatBenz trucks stand for quality, reliability, and efficiency. Thus, they offer exactly what our Indian customers need. Our sales figures reflect this: Last year, sales of our vehicles rose by 59 per cent compared to the previous year”, says Erich Nesselhauf, CEO and Managing Director of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV). “The start of the bus production marks the next chapter of our success story. We are excited to present our activities in India at the Hannover Messe.”

Daimler is investing another 50 million euros in the bus plant, which will start operation on the premises of the existing plant at the end of May. The plant is set up for an initial capacity of 1,500 units per year with a possible expansion to 4,000 buses. This is where rear-engine buses for the premium segment will be rolling off the assembly line under the Mercedes-Benz brand . The product portfolio will also include front-engine BharatBenz buses tailored to the requirements of the Indian high-volume bus market.

On the occasion of Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Daimler Board of Management and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, will meet the Indian Prime Minister. Among the topics will be Modi’s initiative “Make in India” which seeks to further strengthen India’s industrial base, thus developing the country to an internationally recognized production hub.

With a high level of local content and the export business from India, Daimler's commercial vehicles business is already a prime example of this target. Daimler Trucks and Buses is using a high level of local content for its production in Chennai. About 85 percent of the vehicle components are produced locally.

Since 2013, FUSO trucks have also been rolling off the line in Chennai under the umbrella of Daimler Trucks Asia. These trucks are earmarked for export to the growth markets of Asia and Africa. Exports to the Middle East and Latin America are to follow this year.