1. QUANTUM
LEAP:
Eicher
Pro 8000
` 100
TATA ACE MEGA:
Higher payload,
better fuel
efficiency and
performance
EXCLUSIVE
MAHINDRA
TRUXO 37:
Unorthodox
Trucking
INTERVIEW: Ravi Pisharody Vinod Aggarwal Nalin Mehta Torbjorn Holmstorm
www.commercialvehicle.in
through design
Growing clout of
AMTs
vanity van
puts up a
sterling performance
looks at
fuel efficient buses
support
the operations of
APMC Vashi
RENAULT
1-tonne pick-
up marks entry
into global LCV
business
Anniversary
th
EXCLUSIVE

2. COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OCTOBER 2015 www.commercialvehicle.in
WHAT'S INSIDE
8
Pro 8000 marks Eicher's
quantum leap46
141
New Jammu Udhampur
highway assures safe,
smooth and efficient
journey86
YOUR
VOICE
We welcome feedback, bouquets and
brickbats on how this magazine is shaping up.
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October 2015
ToSubscribe
turntopage
07 Straight Drive - Bhushan Mhapralkar
10 Letters
12 CV News
62 Ashok Leyland employs DassaultMichelin rolls
out X Multi tubeless radial truck and bus tyre
64 Safety beyond ABS & ESP
68 Growing clout of AMTs
72 Technological evolution in Indian CVs
82 A portal that facilitates trucking
92 Vanity van for SRK
96 Transporting the taste of India
100 Trucks support the operations of Asia's
largest agri market
110 BMTC banks on a strong bottomline to
address challenges
114 Mumbai's BEST lifelines faces Herculean task
119 ICEMA initiative to seek skilled manpower
120 SIAM reveals Automotive Mission Plan 2026
122 ACMA banks on 'Make in India'
124 Winds of Change
128
147 CV sales in August 2015
148 Hindustan (Bedford) J4, J5 and J6

3. COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OCTOBER 2015 www.commercialvehicle.in
TECHNOLOGY FUTURE EVOLUTION
72
T
he Commercial Vehicle (CV)
industry is heavily influenced
by the development of the
transportation industry, including
changing logistics business models,
the world over. The industry is
always adapting to increasing
competition, new mobility concepts,
and transparent fleet management;
forcing existing OEMs to modify
their business models to compete
more effectively. Technology
plays an important role in such
an environment, helping to clock
higher uptime, up productivity and
efficiency while leading to lower
Total Cost of Operation (TCO). As
per the Roland Berger 2025 study
Technology plays an
important role by
ensuring productivity,
higher uptime and
efficiency. It is
contributing to lower
TCO.
Story by:
Jeffry Jacob and
Dr. Wilfried Aulbur
Technological evolution in Indian CVs
we believe four mega trends –
Efficient, Green, Connected and
Safe – will shape the CV industry
and define the road map for
the next few years. Technology
plays a critical and integral role
in translating ‘Efficient’ into
lower TCO, better fuel economy,
vehicle platooning, higher uptime,
optimum fleet management, etc.
‘Green’ subsequently translates
into meeting stricter emission
standards, increasing after-
treatment applications, improved
aerodynamics, alternative fuels,
noise reduction, light weighting, etc.
‘Connected’ translates into remote
diagnostics, performance analysis,
telematics, etc. ‘Safe’ translates into
accident free transportation, driver
assistance systems, pedestrian
safety, intelligent traffic warning,
autonomous driving, inter-vehicle
communication, etc.
Stringent regulations
Regulators globally are becoming
stringent. They are coming to play
an important role in promoting the
use of technology, mainly through
legislative mandates such as fuel
standards, emission and safety
norms. At the same time, fleet
operators and logistics companies
are keen to leverage technology as
future drivers of profitability. OEMs,
at the other end, are viewing new
technology areas as a potential to
boost their profit pools. Several
technological features such as
emergency braking assistant,
intelligent cruise control, brake
assist and hill-holder for distance
control; backup camera for parking;
electronic stability control and lane
monitor for directional stability are
being adopted in varying degrees
by CV customers globally. We can,
in the medium term, expect to see
further development and adoption
of technologies such as blind spot
warning, blind spot monitor, night-
view assistant, active lane assistant
and parctronic. More advanced
features such as lane-change
assistant, stop and go assistant,
active lane-keeping assistant,
manoeuvring assistant and backup
assistant are expected to be
available in the long term.
The EU has mandated, that
from 2015, all new trucks must
be equipped with lane departure
warning system, and from 2018,
they should be equipped with
advanced emergency braking
systems. The focus beyond Euro VI
emission norms will be on greater
fuel efficiency as a major lever to
reduce TCO. This is of particular
importance not only in reducing
the cost of operations and helping
to keep the environment cleaner,
but also to help reduce sovereign
dependence on imported crude
for most developed and emerging
economies.
Eyeing future
requirements
Several global OEMs have
already started incorporating
advanced technologies. Many
have developed concept vehicles
keeping in view the future customer
requirements such as efficiency,
reduced environmental impact,
driver comfort and safety, and
improved perception of transport.
For example, tyres with low
emission noise and better engine
casings. MAN Concept S (drag
co-efficient of 0.3) with modified
semi-trailer achieves 25 per cent
fuel consumption reduction in
comparison to conventionally
equipped 40-tonne long-haul
trucks. Leading manufacturers such
The EU has
mandated, that
from 2015, all new
trucks must be
equipped with
lane departure
warning system

4. OCTOBER 2015 COMMERCIAL VEHICLEwww.commercialvehicle.in
FUTURE EVOLUTION TECHNOLOGY
73
as Daimler, MAN, Volvo and Iveco
are continuously focusing on next
generation technologies. Daimler,
for example, is actively pursuing
development of the third generation
Active Braking Assist (ABA3).
ABA3 will be able to bring a truck
or a coach to standstill if necessary
when faced with stationary
obstacles, thereby avoiding over half
of all rear-end collisions involving
heavy commercial vehicles. Further
developments in ‘Lane Assist’
systems are being worked upon.
These, in addition to giving visible
and audible warnings when a truck
is about to leave its lane, will also
actively keep the truck in its lane
and steer the truck in case of a
dangerous situation.
Technological innovations from
passenger vehicles are finding
their way into commercial vehicles.
Entering into series production
on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in
1995, Electronic Stability Program
(ESP), within a few years found
its way into commercial vehicles
albeit in a more complex form, and
configured to suit a wide range of
variants with different wheelbases,
axle configurations, bodies and
load conditions. ESP has now
been successfully applied for 20
years; has firmly established itself
as a standard equipment. Another
example is the emergency braking
assist, which is found on cars, vans,
trucks, buses and coaches alike.
Technology in the Indian
context
CV is an important part of the
Indian economic growth engine,
and an indicator of the GDP growth.
Currently subdued, green shoots
are already visible. Their growth
trajectory will resume sooner
than later. In such a scenario,
technological advancements will
be a key to the future growth of
CVs in India as well. An average
truck sold in India costs far less
for an equivalent specification as
compared to a truck sold in Europe.
It carries the same weight, and in
some cases, more. Its exposure to
tough terrain conditions means
it has to be durable too. This is
possible only through innovation.
Innovation in product or process
design would ensure that its
function is satisfactorily fulfilled.
In addition to the technological
influences of the West, Indian
manufacturers would need to
leverage technology effectively to
reduce overall cost of ownership
and meet stringent price points
demanded by the operators, at the
same time satisfying all functional
and regulatory aspects.
In the case of regulatory
aspects, the main focus will
be emissions and safety. ABS
has been made mandatory by
the Government of India for
commercial vehicles. This is
expected to lower India’s high
road accident and casualty rate.
It is amongst the highest globally.
Commercial vehicles are also
expected to be fitted with speed
limiters to prevent drivers from
speeding beyond 80 kmph. The
government has announced its
firm intent to encourage sales of
electric and hybrid vehicles in India
under FAME (Faster Adoption
of Manufacturing of Electric and
Hybrid vehicles in India) through
incentives for both battery operated
ABA3 will be
able to bring a
truck or a coach
to standstill
if necessary
when faced
with stationary
obstacles, thereby
avoiding over half
of all rear-end
collisions involving
heavy commercial
vehicles.
MAN Concept S
(drag co-efficient
of 0.3) with
modified semi-
trailer achieves
25 per cent fuel
consumption
reduction in
comparison to
conventionally
equipped
40-tonne long-
haul trucks.

5. COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OCTOBER 2015 www.commercialvehicle.in74
TECHNOLOGY FUTURE EVOLUTION
and hybrid models. Incentives
range between Rs. 17,000 to Rs.
1.87 lakh for LCVs, and Rs. 34
lakh to Rs. 64 lakh for buses. In a
country like India where sourcing
qualified drivers is a Herculean
task, technology will ensure better
driving comfort, less driving
stress and a safe experience.
Systems such as Advanced Driver
Assistance System (ADAS) will
further reduce overall cost for fleet
operators by ensuring accident-
free transportation and minimising
downtime due to driver error.
Connectivity
Technologies like advanced fleet
management systems, adaptive
cruise control, telematics, etc.,
will get more pervasive in India.
They are currently available
and used widely in other parts
of the world, and have already
proven themselves in the area
of fuel savings and to reduce
the cost of operations. Truck
connectivity implies a multitude
of solutions and potential profit
pools for Indian OEMs, setting
the ground for enhanced services
and new business models. Some
of the key areas of connectivity
include vehicle management
(remote diagnostics, maintenance
planning, remote function
download, breakdown call, vehicle
protection), load monitoring
(temperature management, load
detection), driver management
(driver entertainment, emergency
call, performance analysis),
operations/logistics management
(order management, trip records,
smart navigation) and time/legal
management (time recording,
tacho management).
According to a recent Roland
Berger study in India, M&HCV
fleet owners are increasingly
accepting telematics solutions,
while looking at them through the
lens of productivity, efficiency and
cost savings. Telematics has so far
had a low adoption rate in India.
Reasons include price sensitivity,
infrastructure deficiencies (data
network, connectivity of local
authorities and business partners)
and fleet ownership patterns (huge
proportion of small fleets with
low degree of professionalism).
The development towards larger
and more professionalised fleets,
logistics providers have started
favouring telematics services.
Customers are also increasingly
demanding telematics from their
logistics providers. As a result
OEMs are also focusing on investing
significantly in such areas.
Technology a key to
road safety
Technology is the key to increasing
road safety in India which has
one of the highest road fatalities
globally. Currently there is no
widespread application of driver
assistance programmes in India
that will make driving safe for both,
the driver as well as other vehicles
on the road. Technology will play a
key role in the development of CV
market in India and will be driven
through lasting tangible benefits
to OEMs, suppliers as well as fleet
operators in terms of lower cost of
operations and better safety. The
enforcement of ABS and revised
Bus Code will enhance safety while
also leading to challenges such as
price increase. Features related
to safety, telematics, etc., are
expected to be driven more due
to competitive pressures than due
to regulatory norms. OEMs have a
key role to play in the adoption of
technology by customers through
tailored solutions. They have the
task of providing customers with a
convincing TCO business case and
adopting a syndicated approach
to address current infrastructural
deficiencies in the market.
Current day trucks are miles
ahead of what was available a
couple of decades ago. They
are beginning to rival passenger
cars in terms of innovation. While
changes in technology upgradation
are critical in countries like India,
they have to be driven in a clearly
defined manner. It may be driven
by legislation in areas such as
emissions and safety, or through
customer pull in terms of higher
reliability and value-added features.
Technology can be applied across
the entire value chain. It can impact
all the stakeholders, including
aftermarket participants through
better maintenance, fault diagnosis
and easier diagnosis in case of
vehicle repairs. By the next decade
trucks will be a lot cleaner, efficient,
connected and safer. Europe will
most likely lead this wave, but
emerging countries like India, with
one of the largest truck parcs, will
not be left behind. It cannot afford
to stay back..
--------------------------------------------
Jeffry Jacob is Principal at Roland
Berger Strategy Consultants (India),
and Dr. Wilfried Aulbur is Managing
Partner & CEO (India), and
Chairman - Middle East & Africa and
Head Automotive Asia at Roland
Berger Strategy Consultants.
The government
has announced
its firm intent to
encourage sales
of electric and
hybrid vehicles in
India under FAME
through incentives
for both battery
operated and
hybrid models.