Indian CV's coming of age finally

The inevitable is finally happening. Though India's passenger car market graduated to international levels offering the best in the world for its customers to choose from, the Commercial Vehicle segment presented a sad picture until very recently. Not any more. Need a proof? You should have had a look at the models lined up at the Auto Expo 2010, or better still, just spent time watching the new public transport buses in any of India's big cities. Though full credits go to Volvo for starting it all in India, credits are also due for domestic manufacturers like Tata and Ashok Leyland for coming up with a very strong message that they are not hiding with the onslaught of global competition.

Visitors at the Auto Expo 2010 were startled with the kind of CV's on display. Volvo had the CNG variant of it's intra-city bus 8400 and the 9400, India's first multi-axle bus which stunned visitors with it's length, on display. Tata was not to be left behind in the race with the attention-grabbing and hugely popular Prima world truck and it's Marcopolo range of city buses. Ashok Leyland also attracted fair share of attention with India's first plug-in hyrid bus, the Hybus. Also launced at the expo were models from Mahindra Navistar and Eicher thus formally announcing the fact that India's CV segment is finally coming of age.

 

The most important fact is that all the models on display were not merely showcase dolls but are actually seeing the light of the day sooner or later. Volvos, including the multi-axle 9400 are plentiful now-a-days especially in Bengaluru where you get to see them every minute and Chennai. Even the regular public transport buses from Ashok Leyland and Tata are now quite modern and good to look at, which were the least comments expected out of those buses a few years ago. These new buses encourage more people to take the public transport and by doing so, ensures that the basic necessity of building a good public transport infrastructure to decongest our crowded city roads in the future has been met.

If only the roads and the city infrastucture are as developed as the vehicles plying on it, India will look much better.