Good news for India - and maybe I missed it, but this still does not say this Scania plant in Karnataka will supply Chinese factories. Absent any such proof, I rest my case.
Indian buses made in India are fine for India, but with their ill-repute, are not to be trusted anywhere else.
The low end of the Bangladesh market has been 'invaded' with low-grade Indian commercial vehicles, with horrific effects. Pollution is rife, as is expected with their low-grade engines and components. MTBF for engines can be counted in the low hundreds of hours. Every roadside dhaba mechanic has proof. Just ask.
Now that both Volvo and Scania are investing in India, that is bad news for us in the rest of Asia. This means that the stellar quality once expected of these brands will no longer be assured because these brands made in the land of low-grade steel and questionable QC will spell doom for unsuspecting Asian customers.
Please don't see my comments as anti-Indian because I distrust Indian commercial vehicle brands. I have nothing against Indians themselves.
Indian bus operators and logistics companies themselves will often buy foreign products if they have a choice. They would have bought more, but their govt. certainly does not make it easy for them knowing how their local industry 'formulates' their import and export policy and have succeeded in keeping it as the world's largest captive closed-market for decades and decades. The primary reason is to keep feeding India low-grade products resulting from low-grade raw materials and inefficient processes which, when given a choice, no one would buy.
This is one of the main reasons Indian products fail horribly when faced with International competition.
The middle end of the Bus market - whether in Asia or worldwide, is firmly in Chinese manufacturers' hands and the top-end is soon to follow. The sooner Asian customers realize this - the better.
Look how Indian travel-blogs are gushing about a Chinese BYD e-bus introduced in Bangalore (first e-bus in India). If Indian metro bus operators themselves are buying Chinese equipment, why should we buy Indian equipment?
Bangalore BMTC’s New “Electric” Bus by BYD!
The new “electric bus” recently acquired by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) seen at Majestic bus station, Bangalore. The bus is manufactured by a Chinese company named
BYD Auto Company Ltd. (Build Your Dreams) and costs a whopping Rs.2.7 Crore in India. There is only one electric bus as of now and runs on a trial basis on
route 335E (Majestic – Corporation – Richmond – Brigade – Domlur – HAL – Marathahalli – Kundanahalli – KTPO – ITPL – Kadugodi). Based on feedback and performance, more buses will be acquired and extended to more routes.
100% Green and completely free of emission, the bus runs completely on Batteries and once fully charged has a range of 250 km or for 4 round trips.
The interiors of the bus reek of quality and is completely pin-drop silent! The body of the bus is made fully of fiber and plastic and this bus makes the Volvos pale in comparison. This has to be the future of public transportation in India. The bus is awesome, BMTC! Please go ahead! If only the government would waive taxes and duties on battery powered vehicles…
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vadakkus @vadakkus
Took a ride on BMTC's new Elecrtic bus. Sorry Volvo, your buses suddenly look and feel like a Tata Indica cab in front of a Merc.