News TWo Wheelers And coMMercIAl VehIcles

6 www.autotechreview.com

The recently-launched BH100, Bharat Earth Movers Limited’s (BEML) largest rear dump truck is fitted with a fully-automatic transmission from Allison Transmission. The Allison H8610A automatic transmission in the 100 tonne truck is unique in the fact that it combines the benefits of hy-draulic torque converter technology with closed-loop adaptive controls.

The H8610A features a dual torque path, thereby providing high torque output for a better and controlled launch. The driveline system has been optimised to provide comfortable shifts, increased durability and increased fuel-efficiency.

Ram Amarnath, Managing Director of Allison Transmission India, said “We are very pleased to have been selected by BEML as the transmission supplier for their new and improved BH100 dump truck. After years of serving the Indian off-high-way market through our li-censed manufacturing partner, we are excited to re-engage directly with BEML with the release of our H8610A transmission.”

TRANSMISSION | bEML TRUCk GETS ALLISON TRANSMISSION UNIT

Audi AG, a unit of Volkswagen AG, has acquired Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding SpA from the Investindustrial Group for a speculated $ 1.13 bn. Audi, however, is yet to confirm the amount it is paying to acquire Ducati.

Weeks of speculation regarding the acquisition came to an end after supervisory boards of Audi AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition in Hamburg, Germany. According to the company the transaction will be completed as quickly as possi-ble once authorised by the competition authorities. Expected to complete in few months, the acquisi-tion is subject to anti-trust clearance.

According to Audi AG, Ducati is now a third pillar of the company alongside other Italian brands, Lamborghini and Italdesign. A leading brand in motorcycles, with expertise in engine de-velopment and lightweight construction, Ducati is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers, said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. He added that Ducati is an excellent fit for Audi as the com-pany’s technologies including progressive control

systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines and their extensive know-how in lightweight construction offer great potential for Audi AG and the Volkswagen Group.

The acquisition will diversify Volkswagen’s already huge portfolio and increase the number

of brands under the group to eleven. Headquar-tered in Bologna, Italy, Ducati has manufactur-ing operations at two plants, one in Bologna and other in Thailand. In 2011, the company sold about 42,200 motorcycles and generated revenue of € 480 mn.

India Yamaha Motor recently launched three new variants of its popular FZ Series in India, including the FZ-S, FZ and Fazer in new colour scheme and graphics. The new FZ-S and Fazer variants will feature a longer and wider pillion seat and a redesigned grab bar. Further, a new chain protector has been added in order to increase the chain’s life. The variants also get a redesigned rear fender with larger and wider track. The FZ variant gets a new meter console in a Full Liquid Crystal Display (FLCD), claimed to be placed at an optimum position to keep the field of vision clear.

Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & MD, India Yamaha Motor said the company’s strate-gic intent is to provide customers with stylish variants to suite his fashion

statement and personality. “We are confident that these variants too will be an instant hit among the biking enthusiasts,” he said.

The three variants FZ, FZ-S and Fazer have been priced at ` 69,250, ` 71,280 and ` 76,380 respectively, ex-showroom Delhi.

NEW ACQUISITION | AUDI ACQUIRES DUCATI

INDIA YAMAHA | THREE NEW FZ VARIANTS LAUNCHED

NEWS TWO WHEELERS AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

6 www.autotechreview.com

The recently-launched BH100, Bharat Earth Movers Limited’s (BEML) largest rear dump truck is fitted with a fully-automatic transmission from Allison Transmission. The Allison H8610A automatic transmission in the 100 tonne truck is unique in the fact that it combines the benefits of hy-draulic torque converter technology with closed-loop adaptive controls.

The H8610A features a dual torque path, thereby providing high torque output for a better and controlled launch. The driveline system has been optimised to provide comfortable shifts, increased durability and increased fuel-efficiency.

Ram Amarnath, Managing Director of Allison Transmission India, said “We are very pleased to have been selected by BEML as the transmission supplier for their new and improved BH100 dump truck. After years of serving the Indian off-high-way market through our li-censed manufacturing partner, we are excited to re-engage directly with BEML with the release of our H8610A transmission.”

TRANSMISSION | BEML TRUCK GETS ALLISON TRANSMISSION UNIT

Audi AG, a unit of Volkswagen AG, has acquired Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding SpA from the Investindustrial Group for a speculated $ 1.13 bn. Audi, however, is yet to confirm the amount it is paying to acquire Ducati.

Weeks of speculation regarding the acquisition came to an end after supervisory boards of Audi AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition in Hamburg, Germany. According to the company the transaction will be completed as quickly as possi-ble once authorised by the competition authorities. Expected to complete in few months, the acquisi-tion is subject to anti-trust clearance.

According to Audi AG, Ducati is now a third pillar of the company alongside other Italian brands, Lamborghini and Italdesign. A leading brand in motorcycles, with expertise in engine de-velopment and lightweight construction, Ducati is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers, said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. He added that Ducati is an excellent fit for Audi as the com-pany’s technologies including progressive control

systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines and their extensive know-how in lightweight construction offer great potential for Audi AG and the Volkswagen Group.

The acquisition will diversify Volkswagen’s already huge portfolio and increase the number

of brands under the group to eleven. Headquar-tered in Bologna, Italy, Ducati has manufactur-ing operations at two plants, one in Bologna and other in Thailand. In 2011, the company sold about 42,200 motorcycles and generated revenue of € 480 mn.

India Yamaha Motor recently launched three new variants of its popular FZ Series in India, including the FZ-S, FZ and Fazer in new colour scheme and graphics. The new FZ-S and Fazer variants will feature a longer and wider pillion seat and a redesigned grab bar. Further, a new chain protector has been added in order to increase the chain’s life. The variants also get a redesigned rear fender with larger and wider track. The FZ variant gets a new meter console in a Full Liquid Crystal Display (FLCD), claimed to be placed at an optimum position to keep the field of vision clear.

Hiroyuki Suzuki, CEO & MD, India Yamaha Motor said the company’s strate-gic intent is to provide customers with stylish variants to suite his fashion

statement and personality. “We are confident that these variants too will be an instant hit among the biking enthusiasts,” he said.

The three variants FZ, FZ-S and Fazer have been priced at ` 69,250, ` 71,280 and ` 76,380 respectively, ex-showroom Delhi.

NEW ACQUISITION | AUDI ACQUIRES DUCATI

INDIA YAMAHA | THREE NEW FZ VARIANTS LAUNCHED

autotechreview 7May 2012 Volume 1 | Issue 5

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) recently inaugurated its first plant in India at Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, which incidentally is Daimler’s third largest plant outside Germany and one of its only three plants to feature vehicle assembly and com-ponents production at the same location. The plant, together with the suppliers’ park and test track, oc-cupies close to 60 % of the available 400 acre land. The unoccupied land could well hint at DICV’s long-term plans in India. Full-scale production is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2012.

A few critical suppliers are housed inside the modular facility and delivery of components is carried out through an automated system for Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing. In-house suppliers include sheet metal supplier, MS Autotech and frames supplier, KLT Automotive. With the signifi-cant amount of vacant space in the facility, DICV could ask more key suppliers to supply from within the site. In addition, out of the total 450 suppliers, more than 40 % are located within a 40 km radius of the plant. DICV aims to achieve a localisation rate of 85 % in the near future.

The plant has been setup with an investment of `4,400 crore, out of which about one-third has been allocated for the plant. The remaining amount will be utilised for R&D, retail network establish-ment and training. A credible mention about the fa-cility is that it was constructed ground-up within a span of just 24 months.

AUTOMATED PRODUCTIONInitial production capacity is rated at 36,000 units per annum with the ability to scale it up to annual volume of 70,000 units. The plant includes a R&D centre and testing facility, which can carry out full-

metallurgy tests in-house. Automated production takes place through 11 robots in the plant. The powertrain shop, on the other hand, presently has a capacity of 24,000 engines per annum and can in-crease it to 48,000 engines, based on demand. This facility will manufacture three transmissions – G85, MO36 and G131.

The plant will manufacture trucks in the range of 6 to 49 tonne under the BharatBenz brand. Trucks will primarily be categorised in two seg-ments, which will then be bifurcated in different variants. Heavy-duty trucks will be based on the Mercedes-Benz Axor platform, while the light-duty trucks will be based on the Fuso Canter series. DICV

plans to offer a range of 17 trucks in the market by 2014, ensuring a wide coverage of the truck seg-ments in India.

Although there is no official word on pricing, one would expect BharatBenz trucks to cost a little more than the competition. In response to this, the management at the plant inauguration ceremony stated that their trucks are designed to offer about 10 % better fuel-efficiency by segment standards and would offer an optimum value proposition to its customers.

The company has worked extensively to deliver India-specific products and have made numerous changes in the products to suit Indian conditions.

For instance, there is significant demand for roof load carrier in India but no OEM has earlier offered it as OE-fitment, since cabins are supposed to be light and not carry anything on the roof. However, demand from the market forced DICV to design a carrier, which will not only serve functionality but also last for a lifetime.

Production of the urban bus variants too is scheduled to start in a short span of time at the Mannheim engine plant. This factory works on the “synchronous factory” principle, which means that the production areas for foundry, machining and assembly become an integrated system as part of a consistent production flow.

DICV | INDIA GETS 3RD LARGEST DAIMLER PLANT OUTSIDE GERMANY

autotechreview 7May 2012 Volume 1 | Issue 5

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) recently inaugurated its first plant in India at Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, which incidentally is Daimler’s third largest plant outside Germany and one of its only three plants to feature vehicle assembly and com-ponents production at the same location. The plant, together with the suppliers’ park and test track, oc-cupies close to 60 % of the available 400 acre land. The unoccupied land could well hint at DICV’s long-term plans in India. Full-scale production is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2012.

A few critical suppliers are housed inside the modular facility and delivery of components is carried out through an automated system for Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing. In-house suppliers include sheet metal supplier, MS Autotech and frames supplier, KLT Automotive. With the signifi-cant amount of vacant space in the facility, DICV could ask more key suppliers to supply from within the site. In addition, out of the total 450 suppliers, more than 40 % are located within a 40 km radius of the plant. DICV aims to achieve a localisation rate of 85 % in the near future.

The plant has been setup with an investment of `4,400 crore, out of which about one-third has been allocated for the plant. The remaining amount will be utilised for R&D, retail network establish-ment and training. A credible mention about the fa-cility is that it was constructed ground-up within a span of just 24 months.

AUTOMATED PRODUCTIONInitial production capacity is rated at 36,000 units per annum with the ability to scale it up to annual volume of 70,000 units. The plant includes a R&D centre and testing facility, which can carry out full-

metallurgy tests in-house. Automated production takes place through 11 robots in the plant. The powertrain shop, on the other hand, presently has a capacity of 24,000 engines per annum and can in-crease it to 48,000 engines, based on demand. This facility will manufacture three transmissions – G85, MO36 and G131.

The plant will manufacture trucks in the range of 6 to 49 tonne under the BharatBenz brand. Trucks will primarily be categorised in two seg-ments, which will then be bifurcated in different variants. Heavy-duty trucks will be based on the Mercedes-Benz Axor platform, while the light-duty trucks will be based on the Fuso Canter series. DICV

plans to offer a range of 17 trucks in the market by 2014, ensuring a wide coverage of the truck seg-ments in India.

Although there is no official word on pricing, one would expect BharatBenz trucks to cost a little more than the competition. In response to this, the management at the plant inauguration ceremony stated that their trucks are designed to offer about 10 % better fuel-efficiency by segment standards and would offer an optimum value proposition to its customers.

The company has worked extensively to deliver India-specific products and have made numerous changes in the products to suit Indian conditions.

For instance, there is significant demand for roof load carrier in India but no OEM has earlier offered it as OE-fitment, since cabins are supposed to be light and not carry anything on the roof. However, demand from the market forced DICV to design a carrier, which will not only serve functionality but also last for a lifetime.

Production of the urban bus variants too is scheduled to start in a short span of time at the Mannheim engine plant. This factory works on the “synchronous factory” principle, which means that the production areas for foundry, machining and assembly become an integrated system as part of a consistent production flow.

DICV | INDIA GETS 3RD LARGEST DAIMLER PLANT OUTSIDE GERMANY