Pune: After its entry into the long-distance inter-city bus segment, Mercedes Benz announced the launch of its city bus, targeted at the short distance intra-city travel. The 37-seater, low-entry bus is priced starting at Rs 9 million (90 lakhs) ex-factory Pune. The company had launched the intercity bus in 2008 and it sold 150 buses last year.
Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, said the company's intercity buses were accepted well in the Indian market which gave the company confidence to enter the city bus market. ""India is seeing a rapid urbanisation, which is increasing the demand for mobility.
Demand of customers is shifting towards more comfortable and attractive means of transport. We will participate in the growth of the Indian market by expanding our bus business. By 2020, India will comprise 20% of the world's market and we will be ready for that,"" he said.
City transport corporations and the upcoming public private partnership projects are the prime customers for these buses. The 7200-cc, 252-hp buses are air-conditioned with automatic transmission, air suspension and disk brakes. The company had tested the bus in seven Indian cities over the last year.
Mercedes has brought its global body-building partner MCV to India to jointly build these buses. MCV will build the bodies of the bus over Mercedes Benz chassis at the new integrated body-building facility built at Rs 50 crore, next to the Mercedes Benz plant at Chakan near Pune.
Mercedes and MCV have made joint investments in the plant but are operating independently and not through a JV. Since 1995, MCV has built over 15000 buses for Mercedes Benz. The Jalandhar-based Sutlej Motors builds the bodies of the inter-city buses of Mercedes Benz for India and that arrangement will continue.
The company has appointed Markus Villinger as the new head of Daimler Buses India, from 1 April 2012. He will be based in Pune and report to the head of Daimler Buses, Mr Schick. Most parts of the bus are sourced locally, but the company aims to increase the local composition. ""Over the next six months we expect almost the entire bus to will be manufactured locally,"" Mr Schick said.
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