Daimler India unveils Euro 5 compliant trucks

“The Euro 5 ready trucks are priced at the same level as that of our BS IV vehicles. But the new vehicles emit 40 per cent less NOx (nitrogen oxides) than the BS IV vehicles,” Erich Nesselhauf, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India said. 

He said MDT are basically for intra-city transport and the company’s new models would help in reducing the pollution levels in the city. When queried whether the Euro 5 model is positioned as a differentiator at the market place as Daimler India’s BS IV trucks are slightly costlier than the competing brands, Nesselhauf said: “Even now the new models are costlier.” He said the idea is to offer models that are less polluting. 

When asked about the possibility of launching electric trucks in India as Daimler launched one in New York recently, Marc Llistosella, Head of Daimler Trucks Asia said: “The infrastructure is not yet ready in India in terms of charging stations and others.” Looking back at the five years since Daimler India started selling its trucks in India, Llistosella said more than 55,000 BharatBenz trucks are on the Indian roads. 

He said the domestic market indications are strong. However, officials declined to share any numbers as to target for the current year or the sales numbers this year. Nesselhauf said Daimler India’s truck plant near here had started a second shift owing to good domestic demand. The increased production numbers also augur well for meeting the export demand.