Based in Surat, SVLL is one of the largest fleet owners in the country. The company operates across diverse segments such steel, cement, tractors, chemicals, machinery and is a pioneer in the newer segments of commercial vehicle chassis carriers. With this legacy in place, the company has decided to venture into the bus segment under their ‘Connect’brand with Scania as its chosen partner.
Expressing his happiness over the launch of the next generation super luxury coach, Mr. Anders Grundströmer says,“This is the bus that the entire industry has been waiting for so eagerly, it represents the future of the bus industry. India has been one of our key focus markets and the country presents some very unique opportunities for a commercial vehicle manufacturer like us. This order is one more affirmation of the trust and acceptance of our vehicles. This is the first step towards achieving our goal of being the most trusted transport partner to all our customers and SVLL is one of our most valued customers. We look forward to a long term partnership with them transcending into their Trucking business as well.”
“SVLL is one of the largest fleet owners in the country with over 5975 commercial vehicles. As we continue to reinforce our presence in the road transport sector, our new alliance with Scania marks a key milestone in allowing us to cross the threshold into a brand new segment of transportation in India. With Scania’s manufacturing expertise, Dilip Chhabria of automotive design and SVLL’s network reach in the country, our combined capabilities will enhance our ability to offer world-class facilities to our customers in the space of intra-city bus services in India”, adds Mr.RC Baid, Chairman & Chief Mentor, Siddhi Vinayak Logistics Ltd.
Launched in February this year, the Scania Intercity Coach range introduces highly reliable multi-purpose coach for medium and long distance luxury travel for the Indian market which has already received an overwhelming response since the launch in India.The luxury coach is the product of knowledge gathered from studying the needs of long-distance bus drivers as well as passengers, all based on renowned Scania virtues such asrobust design, maximum passenger and driver safety, leading fuel economy and a long and trouble-free service life.
Scania invests in India
Scania is investing about Rs. 2.5bn in an industrial facility in Bengaluru. The Scania Regional Product Centre, India will also be the centre of the company’s commercial operations in the country. Scania’s ambition is to sell about 2,500 trucks, 1,000 coaches per year in the Indian market within the next five years.
The facility is being constructed in an industrial area 40 km east of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka state in southern India. It is estimated that almost 800 people will be employed at the facility in the longer term.
The industrial operations will consist of final assembly of trucks with bodywork and building of complete coaches with bodywork. The head office of Scania’s Indian company, complete with a service workshop and a central parts warehouse, will be housed at the same site.
Scania has been represented in the Indian market since 2007, when a partnership was initiated with Larsen & Toubro (L&T). L&T has successfully established Scania’s trucks and services and has developed a close partnership with customers in the mining industry. L&T currently operates about 10 Scania service workshops at various mining sites in the country and continues to be a trusted partner for off road including mining trucks.
In 2011, Scania established the company Scania Commercial Vehicles India Pvt. Ltd. in order to boost its presence through sales to additional segments of the Indian commercial vehicle market. Scania recently launched a new range of on-road haulage truck models specially adapted for the Indian market - the R 500 6x4, the G 460 6x4 and the P 410 6x2. The P 410 8x4 mining tipper was launched in December 2012.
In the beginning of 2013 Scania launched a new coach range, especially for the Indian market. The new coach range is a purpose-designed coach for luxury intercity or charter travels. Same year in June Scania also launched its power generation engines in India, and soon marine and industrial engines will follow. Scania has been establishing a network of dealers across the south and western regions of India covering its business areas to support the customers with the best parts and service availability.
