Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), an Indian subsidiary of Daimler AG, recorded 2017 as the most successful year. Strong momentum witnessed from fresh products and tailwind from regulatory changes in the market environment driven the sales to new heights.
Daimler sold 16,717 BharatBenz trucks in 2017 in India, witnessing a growth of 28% as compared to the sales of 13,081 units in 2016. In particular, the growth was driven by the launch of the brand’s all-new Heavy-Duty truck range. Additional momentum came from the transition to the BS-IV standard that BharatBenz had led in the CV segment with the clear commitment to meet the scheduling date of April 1, 2017 both in production and sales.
DICV’s MD & CEO Erich Nesselhauf, said, “2017 was a very good year for DICV and for BharatBenz. The transition to BS-IV and the introduction of GST were the long-expected game changers for the Indian CV industry. Based on our strong product portfolio and customer response, we expect further significant growth.”
The introduction of GST July 1, 2017 further accelerated the shift in customer demand towards modern, more capable and reliable trucks. With the BharatBenz brand reaching into double-digit market share territory for the first time since its launch in 2012, market share in the 9-49 tonne segment for the full year 2017 jumped by 9.1%.
The fifth anniversary of its market entry in September 2017 has been celebrated with a “High Five” yatra of more than 9,000 km across 23 major cities, reaching out to thousands of customers and drivers.
So far since its launch in 2012, the company has handed over more than 60,000 BharatBenz trucks to customers in India.