Scania Launches Biofuel Powered Citywide Bus and the Premium Scania G 310 Truck at Auto Expo 2016

Scania Commercial Vehicles India Pvt. Ltd., a leading premium commercial vehicles and engines manufacturer, today unveiled its flagship Citywide bus at the Auto Expo, India Expo Mart, in Greater Noida. The Citywide bus can run on fossil fuels (diesel) as well as renewable fuels (bio-ethanol, bio-diesel, bio-methane). This significant step by Scania reaffirms its lead of the sustainable transport revolution in India. At the expo, Scania also launched its premium, high performance G310 haulage tractor for the Indian market.

Scania Citywide is India’s first biofuel-powered commercial bus and comes with a low floor and low entry for better and greater passenger flow and comfort. The bus is compatible with all commercially available biofuels complying with Bharat Stage (BS) 4, Euro 5, and Euro 6. It’s well established in many countries that the use of biofuels in public transport improves air quality, reduces CO2 emission and makes a city cleaner and smarter. With the Citywide bus launch in India, Scania moves a step closer towards realising a sustainable transport system in India.

The premium Scania G310 truck is a haulage tractor and creates a new category for Scania, with the company being the only player in this premium segment currently. The G 310 comes with the promise of market-leading productivity, increased safety, maximised vehicle uptime and outstanding fuel efficiency to help customers realise industry best Total Operating Economy (TOE). The G 310 is equipped with Scania OptiCruise, a fully automatic gear change system that improves the vehicle’s performance by selecting gears that are most appropriate. The truck offers high performance with electronic load transfer, allowing the driver to transfer more load to the drive axle, thereby increasing the traction. Active traction control is another key feature of this premium truck which is coupled with ABS and ensures that all wheels have enough traction to keep the vehicle stable in case of wheel slips.

All Scania products come with features that increase vehicle efficiency, optimise energy consumption and enhance driver safety and comfort. A smart, safe driver can improve vehicle life and reduce fuel consumption, thereby enhancing our customers’ profitability while at the same time enabling a sustainable socio-economic ecosystem.

Mikael Benje, Managing Director, Business Unit, Scania India, said, “We are delighted to announce the global launch of the most anticipated Scania Citywide bus at this year’s Auto Expo in India. Scania Citywide buses can be run on biofuels and will offer a whole new level of travel comfort, aid great passenger flow and safety as passengers continue to seek a more luxurious and comfortable journey even for a small distance. This is yet another testimony to our strong commitment to make in India and implementing safe, comfortable and world class sustainable transport in India.”

At the Auto Expo, Scania also showcased the industry leading Scania R580 truck that comes with a V8 engine and the premium coach ‘Metrolink 14.5 m’ bus that offers unmatched safety and comfort. Also on display was the company’s model/process of converting local waste to local fuel for local transport with Scania’s globally acclaimed ethanol engine. The Scania R580, the most powerful on road truck, has been certified by ARAI under a brand new category named ‘puller’.

Metrolink also complies with R66 Standard, offering best possible safety even in case of vehicle roll over and accident, tested and certified by TUV, Germany. Further, the Scania Driver Coaching programme uses the individual driver data from the fleet management system to highlight drivers' strengths and improvement areas, which benefits even the most skilled drivers. Driver coaching engages with drivers to increase the uptime and service life of customers’ fleet, while decreasing accident rates, fuel consumption and total cost of ownership.

Klas Dahlberg, Senior Vice President, Buses & Coaches, Sales & Marketing, Scania Group, said, “Scania has been the pioneer in providing sustainable transport, offering industry best Total Operating Economy (TOE) and vehicles running on alternative fuels. The Scania Citywide bus is our latest contribution towards envisaging a sustainable future for India. Sustainable transport solutions will help India leapfrog technology steps and boost the nation’s economy by broadening the business ecosystem and creating new employment.”

Scania recently hosted a multi-stakeholder conference on sustainability in Delhi, and unveiled an industry whitepaper on “Increasing the adoption of biofuels for vehicle use in India”. The whitepaper highlighted specific measures to help India create a sustainable transport system, secure energy independence, curb emissions dramatically and create new jobs. The whitepaper also outlined how India can transform its current account deficit to a surplus with this shift, while minimising damage to our environment.

“Continuing our focus on sustainable transport solutions this year, we will increase the manufacturing of vehicles that can run on alternative fuel (biofuel) engines at our Narasapura plant in India. We will continue to drive awareness and collaborate with key stakeholders to highlight the benefits of ‘local waste for local fuel for local transport’ across India starting with the introduction of ethanol based Green Buses across India this year”, added Mikael Benje.  

Scania has been the pioneer in manufacturing sustainable vehicles which offer the best Total Operating Economy (TOE). Scania has also been an active proponent of ‘Swach Bharat’, ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Make in India’. Scania products offer outstanding fuel efficiency, increased vehicle uptime and best-in-class productivity, enabling customers to increase their profitability.

About Scania India:

Scania has been represented in the Indian market since 2007. In 2011, Scania established the company Scania Commercial Vehicles India Pvt. Ltd. to strengthen its presence through sales to additional segments of the Indian commercial vehicle market and to widen its offer of Sustainable Transport Solutions. Scania has launched a range of on-road haulage truck models specially adapted for the Indian market – India’s most powerful puller the R 580 V8 6x4, the G 460 6x4 and the G 410 6x2 and also the off-road P 410 8x4 Mining and Coal Tipper. Scania has a partnership with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in the Mining segment.

In the beginning of 2013 Scania launched a new bus range, Scania Metrolink 12, 13.7 and 14.5 m to meet the growing need of Safer, Sustainable and Comfortable travelling. The new bus range is purpose-designed for luxury Intercity or Charter travels.

Scania has world class experience in mobility solutions run on biofuels and Scania brings this unique offer to India. Scania handed over the first ethanol run Green Bus in India to the city of Nagpur in August 2014. Public transport on ethanol buses is a cost effective way of reducing several of the city's environmental problems. The solutions developed create the necessary preconditions for comfortable commuting and also better living conditions in city centers, without requiring major investments in new infrastructure. With this ethanol bus, Scania also introduced an engine complying with Bharat stage 5, which is a huge step to minimize emissions. Biofuels is the sustainable solution for urban public transport available here and now.

The company inaugurated its first Industrial Facility in Narasapura, Bangalore, in October, 2013 and inaugurated its first bus plant in March 2015. With a collective investment of Rs. 3 billion, this facility serves as the centre of the company’s commercial operations in the country. The service workshop and a central parts warehouse, is housed at the same site.

Scania has sold more than 1500 trucks and over 250 buses in the Indian market. Scania has a current production capacity of 2500 trucks and 1000 buses, and aims to double its capacity by 2020. In next five years, Scania will also expand its employee pool at this facility.

Scania launched the company’s engines range in India in 2013. Scania has been establishing a network of dealers across India to support the customers with the best parts and service availability.

In India, Scania buses & trucks have been specially designed to meet local conditions and customer requirements, and are backed by world class service network and dealership in the country. Scania is delivering high quality Sustainable Transportation Solutions for India. At the same time Social, Environmental and Economic Sustainability is at the core of Scania’s offer.

For other press material and pictures, please visit www.scania.in/media.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scania-India/533493896732260?fref=ts

Twitter: @ScaniaIndia