Sriprasad is a highly recognised professional in the Indian Automotive Industry with 28 years in various positions, including direct and retail sales, setting up of green field projects, new brand & product introductions and manufacturing. His recent assignment for six years was with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles. He has also worked for the Eicher Group.
“Sriprasad brings him with an all-round and in-depth understanding of the commercial vehicle market. His passion to contribute to change in the commercial vehicle industry, his commitment to create value for customers as well as for passengers fits very well with Volvo Buses’ mission in India. I look forward to seeing Volvo Buses expand its role in the Indian bus industry in the years to come,” said Akash Passey, Senior Vice-President, Business Region International, Volvo Bus Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Volvo Buses in India.
VRV Sriprasad will report to Akash Passey. He takes over from Manish Sahi, who has taken the position as Director – International Business, Volvo Buses India. Besides current export opportunities in Region International, Manish will also focus on export possibilities to Region Europe and Region Americas. The division aims to contribute 25% of volume into India industrial system and thereby enhancing the profitability of the India cluster. He will operate from both India and Sweden.
Volvo Buses in India today is a market cluster covering the South Asian countries of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Maldives. At present, exports from the production facility in Bangalore take place to South Africa and future plans include increased spreads to new markets. Recently, Volvo announced introduction of UD Buses for the growth markets, starting first with India in the value segment of the bus market here.
In India, Volvo Buses has a leading share of the high-performance inter-city luxury coaches that connect major cities, and low-floor air-conditioned city buses, which are operating in 15 cities.
Challenges before VRV Sriprasad :
- The sales of Volvo Buses in India in 2013 declined over 40% to almost 450 units.
- Two back-to-back bus infernos in recent times in Karnataka that led to 52 deaths have both involved buses of Swedish bus maker, Volvo. The ghastly accidents have raised questions about safety measures followed by bus operators, as well as the suitability of the European-made buses for Indian conditions.
