VECV Ltd has recently launched a new series of trucks that it believes are a quantum leap in all aspects, from exterior design to engine technology to cabin features
By Niranjan Mudholkar
The 2013 has been quite bad for the Indian commercial vehicles industry in general. One company, however, has been an exception to this trend. In fact, this company, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd (VECV), a 50- 50 joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors Ltd, has been delivering profits for the last five years with the Eicher brand trucks. Now, the company wants to build on this success and take the trucking industry to the next level with its latest Pro series. The company believes that this Pro series of trucks and buses from 5-49 tonnes will set new benchmarks in productivity and efficiency.
While continuing to address the large sized value segment, the new range also marks the entry of the Eicher brand into the emerging premium segment that requires higher power and torque combination as well as a greater degree of refinement and sophistication. According to Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO, Eicher Motors Ltd, the Pro series embodies the most professional and holistic approach to modernise the Indian trucking industry. “The new brand philosophy is to ‘Go Pro’, which signifies higher productivity, profitability and prosperity for the customers,” he says. The company claims that new trucks and buses will deliver best-inclass fuel efficiency, higher loading capacity, superior uptime and
overall vehicle life time profitability.
“With a completely new Pegasus-based front styling across the product family, the new range of vehicles are a quantum leap in each and every aspect, from exterior design to engine technology to cabin features,” says Vinod Aggarwal, CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. The new heavy duty range of trucks will be powered by new generation engines adapted from Volvo Group technology with power capacity of 180-280 hp.
The differentiation of any product starts at its design level and Aggarwal says that the design technology at Eicher is about finding harmony between aesthetics and engineering. For example, the cabin has features developed in collaboration with the Volvo Group to combine engineering and comfort. It passes all crash test norms and has features like cruise control and indicators that prompt refuelling and gear change.
The Pro series utilises engines manufactured at a next generation plant built in collaboration with the Volvo Group. Besides manufacturing Euro-3 and Euro-4 engines for the new Eicher heavy duty trucks, the plant also builds Euro-6 engines for the Volvo Group’s medium duty trucks. The completely new chassis and assembly line is also geared to balance high-technology with frugal engineering. Latest manufacturing processes include a cab weld shop with robotic welding, CED paint shop, integrated testing facilities and 100% hot test facility for engines.