Eye-catching body & interior work by MG Group
Autobahn Trucking Corporation, part of the Nippon Group of Kerala, and the largest and most successful dealer of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles in the country, has launched the ‘Glider’, a 16-tonne luxury coach with chassis from BharatBenz and body built by MG Group, the country’s largest independent bus body builder. The stylish-looking new coach was launched at a function in Cochin in the presence of Mr. Thomas Fricke, Managing Director, Daimler Buses India, Mr. Anil M. Kamat, Managing Director, MG Group, Mr. Mohamed Farzad, Managing Director, Autobahn Trucking Corporation, and Mr. M.A.M. Babu Moopan, Chairman, Nippon Group.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mohamed Farzad said: “We are introducing the all-new Glider coach to take passenger travel to the next level. We are offering a safer and more comfortable experience by bringing in a fully-built solution which gives a better value proposition for our valued customers.”
Mr. Babu Moopan shared: “With this strong product, we are trying to bring in a change in the conventional approach in our country’s bus industry. The Glider is available off the shelf where our customers can start their operations from day one.”
Mr. Anil Kamat said: “With a qualitative change in the expectation of the end-users and the need for reliable and superior products, we have a dedicated product development team that works on shaping new models with latest technology, enabling best-in-class comfort, safety, durability and styling. The Kerala market has the distinction of having the highest human development index which reflects its top position in social and economic development in the country. We at MG Group know that if we are successful in Kerala we will be successful across the country since the region is one of the most mature bus markets in the country. I would like to assure you that MG together with Autobahn will strive to give the best-in-class product experience and customer engagement.”
Exciting value proposition
Built for comfort and optimized for performance, the Glider offers an exciting value proposition for fleet operators, drivers and passengers. The vehicle is powered by a 235 hp front engine from the Mercedes Benz OM906 platform. The coach is designed to offer safety and comfort for passengers and drivers and more profit for the operators.
The name ‘Glider’ is derived from the unique Mercedes-Benz Glide suspension known for its best-in-class ride comfort. While the front and rear air suspension are calibrated with the chassis performance to tide over jerks, acoustic insulation is optimized for the front-mounted engine to reduce cabin noise. Air-conditioning with engine-driven compressor keeps the passengers and the driver in the lap of comfort.
The 12 m Glider offers a comfortable saloon area, easy seating with ample leg room, plush interiors, wider windows for panoramic view and technologically-advanced engineering for comfort during long journeys. The cockpit is designed in such a way that it evokes appreciation from professional drivers, primarily owing to its ergonomically optimized work place that makes drivers’ work easier and enables them to concentrate on their drive. While the Glider model is a seater version, the Glider Z comes with a sleeper configuration.
Autobahn Trucking is one of the largest authorized dealers of BharatBenz trucks & buses and Mercedes-Benz buses in Kerala. Within a span of six years, Autobahn has gained the trust and confidence of customers, selling over 8,000 trucks and 600 buses in the State. With such impressive numbers, the dealer outfit has been adjudged one of the best commercial vehicle dealers in the country by FADA and the Best Performing Dealer by Daimler India Commercial Vehicles consecutively for the last four years.