The German auto giant, Mercedes-Benz is geared up for its entry in the intra-city bus segment in India, which resulted from a favorable response received for its inter-city buses that hit the Indian market in the year 2008. The intra-city bus will be 37seater, low-entry bus that will be manufactured new integrated body-building facility near to the company’s plant located at Chakan, Pune.
The Head of Daimler Buses, Mr. Hartmut Schick disclosed the strategy behind the entry in the city bus segment, saying, "India is seeing a rapid urbanization, 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."
The automobile manufacturer has analyzed that India is the second largest market especially for the passenger conveyance segment with the establishment of city transport corporations and the pacing up of private and public sector ventures.
The low-entry, air-conditioned city bus will be built by the company in alliance with the Britain based bus body manufacturer, MCV on the Mercedes-Benz chassis and is said to incorporate 7.2 Liter, six-cylinder engine with automatic transmission drawing a peak power of 252 hp. The bus will be furnished with fire proof material usage, Blue Tec technology for reduced emission levels and two doors for easy boarding and de-boarding with 3 destination boards.
In the last year, the city segment buses were driven in across seven cities as part of testing sessions and are expected to be rolled out with a price tag of around Rs. 90 Lakhs.
