Unveils Starz sleeper coach on B11R multi-axle chassis
The journey of MG Group is a truly inspiring one. Having started off as a bus body builder like most others in the field, the company, driven by sheer passion and far-sighted vision, has metamorphosed into the most-sought-after partner for all the OEMs in the country, be it home-grown ones or the big brands in the global arena. The latest trophy, if one may call it, in MG’s cabinet is its partnership with Volvo Buses, the brand that practically created the premium bus segment in the country.
MG Group hosted a meet in Bangalore, Volvo’s hometown in India, to unveil the dashing new Starz sleeper coach built on Volvo’s B11R multi-axle chassis. We caught up with Mr. Anil Kamat, Managing Director, MG Group, to find out more about the new partnership, the striking new sleeper coach and what’s in store next for his company with boundless aspirations.
Excerpts:
MG Group has emerged as the most-sought-after independent bus body building partner in the country. Adding to your partnership with three other global OEMs over the last four years, how important is this project with Volvo Buses for MG?
MG Group is fortunate to be the preferred body builder for leading vehicle manufacturers present in India and has earned their trust and confidence over the years, primarily driven by our Design and Engineering strength, professional approach and adherence to commitments. We continue to service their business requirements for both the domestic and export markets.
Today we have had the privilege of being associated with all the major global OEMs present in the Indian market, and this feat culminated with the last and most important crown jewel, our collaboration with Volvo, the market leader in the premium bus segment in India. MG is fully committed to all its partners, including Volvo, in fulfilling the obligations and responsibilities bestowed upon us by our esteemed partners.
Our association with Volvo, like all our other OEM partners, is of great importance to us at MG and we are fully committed to deliver on our commitments to our partners.
Please tell us more about the Starz – what’s special in it, what’s new and what difference has MG brought to the coach derived from your many years of experience in, and understanding of the domestic market?
Most coach builders who build buses on various platforms focus their attention on their perceived understanding of the customer’s ‘Wants’ & ‘Need’. MG Group, however, differs from the rest by fulfilling the realistic wants & needs of both our customers as well as the drivers and passengers. Our team of designers are consumers of the industry as well, so we bring our holistic expertise of the market, customer and passengers to the drawing board when designing our buses. This is true for all of our bus designs, but Starz is special because Volvo’s world-class B11R multi-axle chassis allows us a degree of freedom to expand our ideas and enhance the experience of our customers by bringing the next level of luxury and design to the drivers and passengers of the Starz bus.
Some key features of the MG Starz coach are that it is a fully certified sleeper coach as per AIS 119. The Starz coach has an emergency door strategically located at the middle right side of the bus for easy access in case of an emergency. While the Starz is a premium luxury coach, durability and safety are key features incorporated in the design and build of the coach.
The Starz coach has fully moulded ABS interior cladding for a premium saloon like experience. It is fully sealed to avoid dust entry and the structure is designed for resisting corrosion to a great extent as it is coated to withstand 1000 hours salt spray test as opposed to industry standards of around 400.
The drivers and passengers are well provided for with various latest amenities and features that truly give a first-class travel experience to all those that travel by the Starz.
We see a lot of consolidation happening in the form of mergers and acquisitions in both global and domestic markets. With MG Group growing from strength to strength and smaller players in the same field increasingly finding it difficult to survive in the market due to stricter norms, implementation of bus body and other factors, can we expect to see any consolidation move from MG in the short to medium term future?
The bus body building industry in India has been largely fragmented with a huge presence of the unorganized sector. There are very few organized players in this industry in India. And we sure see them consolidating further to leverage the current market conditions in line with the anticipated demand and market requirements.
We at MG have two large mass manufacturing locations with three plants and are suitably geared up for near future demand increases to deliver the market requirements. The implementation of the Bus Code and other policies that will affect the unorganized sector will definitely see a growth for the organized sector. We at MG are also prepared to scale up our capacities organically if the market so demands or inorganically if the opportunity presents itself. The decision however will be demand and market driven.
As regards acquisitions we could be interested if it came in the form of a company from the organized sector which fits in sync with our manufacturing approach and geographical presence and overall strategy. MG has already consolidated its operations recently to focus on the premium bus and coach building in Belgaum and the economy range of products at its Zaheerabad plant.
MG has won the confidence of almost all the bus manufacturers in the country. What’s next in your roadmap? Could you give us an indication as to how you plan to take things to the next level from here?
MG has the unique distinction and privilege of working with all the major OEMs in the commercial vehicle industry in India. It is our continued endeavour to strive to excel in the field of bus body building, and it is with this vision ‘to be the largest bus building company in India’ that we have backward integrated into Design & Engineering with West n Deccan, Bus Seating Systems with MG Leather & Trim, Bus Electronics with MG Grey Engine and FRP parts manufacturing with MG Composites to be a ‘Total Solutions Provider’ to our esteemed customers.
Having established our credentials successfully with OEM partners, MG has recently embarked on an ambitious plan to enter the retail coach segment in a big way. We have come out with a complete range of coach products from the value coach segment to the premium luxury coach segment and are fast spreading our sales and aftersales network to first target the South and West of India in the near future before expanding out to a pan-India footprint.
Lastly, an update on FY19 – how has it been for MG Group? How have your new products introduced in the last two years performed in the market? How many buses have you built during the year and how has it been from a financial perspective?
FY19 has been a milestone year at MG for many reasons. For me, especially, since I complete three years as Managing Director at MG, this is an important milestone. Another major strategy implemented has been the restructuring of our bus building business. We have restructured our operations so that MG Automotives Pvt. Ltd. at Zaheerabad will now be primarily an economy range bus manufacturer for the economy segment, STUs and their requirements and special application vehicles. MG Automotives (Bus & Coach) Pvt. Ltd. in Belgaum, Karnataka, will focus on the retail coach segment from the value coach all the way up to the most premium luxury coaches the industry has to offer at Unit 1, and Unit 2 will cater to the economy range as well as the STU business.
MG’s new range of retail products, launched last year, are gaining good momentum and traction in the market. MG has launched the luxury coach Glider and Glider Z, seater and sleeper respectively, as well as the Prizm (9 tonne segment) on the BharatBenz chassis and the Dreamz premium luxury sleeper coach on the Mercedes chassis. MG also launched the value coach range of Lotus, Lotus Z, Leera and Leera Z on the Ashok Leyland / Tata chassis. MG has most recently launched the premium luxury coach Starz on the Volvo B 11 R chassis. All these products have been very well received by the market and sales are picking up gradually as we get more visibility and penetration of these products.
MG has built over 7,000 buses in this financial year and business is improving year on year. MG has also made efforts to enter the STU business, and some good orders have been bagged by it recently.