Daimler India Commercial Vehicles starts the sale of luxurious Mercedes-Benz coach

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV), which is the 100% Indian subsidiary of Daimler AG, world’s leading truck manufacturer from Germany, has announced today that it has started selling the Mercedes-Benz coach.

The coach is named Super High Deck SHD 2436, and the first set of buses has been handed over to a customer in Chennai. The luxury coach is manufactured out of its plant in Oragadam, on the outskirts of Chennai, and offers a high seating capacity of upto 61 pushback seats. The coach has a luggage space of 14 cubic meters, and is built with a unique aluminique body, making it the lightest in its class offering ultra -fuel efficiency.

Mr. Erich Nesselhauf, the MD and CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles and Mr. Markus Villinger, MD of Daimler Buses India handed over the keys to Mr. KPN Raajesh, owner of KPN Travels, one of the largest luxury coach operators in South India with a fleet size of over 330 intercity buses.

“This product, being the longest coach in the country built with strong features, is sure to set benchmarks in ultra-luxury travel. We are excited to be offering a state-of-the–art vehicle concept to the Indian market. Inter-city travel becomes more safe, comfortable and modern,” Villinger stated.

The luxury coach has an active steerable tag axle, resulting in low turning circle diameter so that sharp turns and bends can be navigated effortlessly. It also boasts of an advanced braking system and a strategically positioned fuel tank for added safety.

The bus plant at Oragadam was started with an investment of INR 425 crore and produces BharatBenz and Mercedes-Benz buses. Within its premises, it also houses Wrightbus, the body manufacturer based in Ireland. The plant manufactures buses with gross vehicle weight range of 9, 16 and above 16 tons. The plant presently has a capacity of 1,500 units per year which can be scaled to 4,000 units per year.

BharatBenz has a network of over 80 dealerships, which has been ramped up to offer tailor-made service packages and 24X7 after-sales support for the new Mercedes-Benz coach. It is backed by BharatBenz Financial, a captive financing unit offering full coverage vehicle insurance.