Eicher unveils heavy-duty trucks range with an eye on infra, construction projects

The Non-Stop series encompasses 4 new HD trucks – the Eicher Pro 6019 XPT Tipper; Eicher Pro 6048XP haulage truck; Eicher Pro 6055XP and the Eicher Pro 6055XP 4×2 tractor-trucks

Eicher Trucks & Buses, a business unit of VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), on November 20 launched the Eicher Non-Stop Series, a revamped version of its heavy-duty trucks (HDTs). Developed to cater to companies which are into infrastructure and construction projects, the long-haulage trucks are meant for transporting cement, tanker, steel, bulker and market load.

The Non-Stop Series encompasses four new HD trucks – the Eicher Pro 6019 XPT Tipper; Eicher Pro 6048XP haulage truck; Eicher Pro 6055XP and the Eicher Pro 6055XP 4×2 tractor-trucks and will be available across the country in a phased manner. Without revealing the investments made on the product lines, Eicher stated that it spends Rs 500-600 crore every year on product development, capacity enhancement and other areas.

Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO, VECV revealed that in the domestic heavy commercial vehicle industry, tractors account for 20 percent of the market, tippers would be around 25 percent, and multi-axle another 20 percent segment.

When asked about the opportunities it foresees with the newly launched commercial vehicles, he stated, “If you look at heavy-duty (segment), there is an increasing migration happening towards tractors. This is because when the infrastructure improves, the tractors become more popular as their overall total cost of operations becomes less. Therefore, this segment will keep on growing relatively more than the other segments of the HD industry. Furthermore, tippers are also growing because of infrastructure investments.

He also revealed that the company is open to the idea of rolling out LNG versions of its HDTs, including the recently launched ones.

Gagandeep Singh Gandhok, Senior VP – HD Truck Business, VECV revealed that the products existed before but with a lesser horsepower.

“Since we have seen a consolidation happening in higher payload trucks, we have enhanced the power output of the engine. The cost per tonne per kilometre is better when you move to higher payload trucks," he said.

He also added, “The vehicles have been designed to ensure exceptional performance and with our holistic service solutions that leverage AI and Machine Learning, they are poised to deliver non-stop growth in business and profitability.”

Eicher revealed that the trucks are backed by Eicher’s network of over 850 touchpoints across the country including over 425 authorised service centres and more than 8,000 retail centres for parts. All Eicher HD vehicles have 100 percent connectivity, supported by an uptime centre, the company claims.