Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation is pleased to announce that partner company Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. is celebrating 10 years of operation. Since its start in 2012, DICV has expanded the market presence of its “made in India, for India” brand of commercial vehicles, BharatBenz, while exporting approximately 35 000 trucks and buses under the FUSO brand.

DICV’s headquarters and production base is in Oragadam, Chennai, a city on the eastern coast of India and a key hub for global manufacturers and software development. Now with over 4000 employees, DICV has rapidly ramped up its capabilities during the past decade. MFTBC and DICV together form Daimler Truck Asia, an organizational unit under Daimler Truck AG that allows the two entities to collaborate on product development, production, exports, sourcing, and research activity. For example, some BharatBenz vehicles, such as the 9-tonne 914R or the 13-tonne 1217C, include much of the same architecture as FUSO medium and heavy-duty models, as further evidence of the rich collaboration between DICV and MFTBC.

In fact, in addition to producing BharatBenz vehicles for the Indian market, the plant in Oragadam also exports FUSO vehicles to 60 countries around the world, from South America to the Middle East. By volume, the largest export market for DICV-produced FUSO vehicles is Saudi Arabia. KD packages are also part of the export business, and are sent to assemby plants in South Africa, Kenya, Vietnam, Malaysia under the FUSO brand and Indonesia under Mercedes-Benz branding. FUSO models produced by DICV range in GVW/GCW from 9 to 40 tons, to match various customer needs and applications. Until now, over 50 000 vehicles have been shipped overseas from DICV, 35 000 units of which have been for FUSO. Additionally, DICV supports the Daimler Truck network of companies with parts procurement and with the production of important components such as transmissions. The organization is therefore not only a key partner for MFTBC, but plays an important role within the largers Daimler Truck family.

In 2021, despite the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, DICV achieved a record in exports at 125% above the previous year. Satyakam Arya, Managing Director and CEO of DICV, commented, “Despite supply chain headwinds, rising input costs, rising fuel prices and the impact of the pandemic, we closed the year with a 48 percent increase in domestic wholesales and achieved highest-ever growth in exports of trucks, buses and parts.”

DICV’s remarkable growth has also been accompanied by a strong commitment to sustainability. The plant’s state-of-the-art facilities only rely on 100 percent recycled water, and are on course to achieve carbon free* operations by 2025. Solar panels located across the vast 430 acre plot are already contributing to this goal, with their 3.3 megawatt capacity. As with MFTBC’s Kawasaki Plant, carbon neutrality across the value chain is also a strategic focus at the Oragadam location. Together with DICV, MFTBC will continue to strive towards the Daimler Truck Asia vision “to develop mobility solutions to embrace a better life for people and the planet,” in the years to come.