SML Isuzu, the JV company of Swaraj Mazda of India and Isuzu Corporation of Japan, showcased three vehicles at the show – the Super 12.9 XM truck and the S7 XM 31-seater bus, both SML badged, and the Isuzu-badged NHR SCV.
Despite the slowdown in the CV space, the company is making steady progress in its market plans and is looking at upping sales volumes once the industry gets back to normal. Mr. Eiichi Seto, Managing Director & CEO, SML Isuzu Ltd., said: “The general economy in India is very slow at the moment. We hope the market recovers at least by the latter part of the next financial year. For the long-term, the Indian market is a very promising one for us. We are looking at doubling our annual sales volumes in around three years’ time from our current figure of around 10,000 trucks and buses.”
The Isuzu NHR SCV, which was displayed for the first time in India, has a payload of around two to 2.5 tonne. The company said the product would positively hit the Indian market, but did not disclose the exact time of its launch. The NHR sports a modern Isuzu cab which is likely to become the standard cab design for all SML Isuzu vehicles in the coming months.
The XM series of trucks and buses which were recently launched come with an upgraded engine designed to give a combined advantage of better fuel efficiency and higher torque to enable customers to reduce the overall operating costs. The new XM series engine is right up there with the best in the market, delivering better fuel efficiency of nearly 1.5 kmpl compared to the highest-selling competitor vehicle in the segment.
The low RPM, high torque combination of the engine, matched with the right transmission and differential ratio, results in better traction which offers easier drivability and also cuts on fuel consumption. On the application side, SML offers the complete range of its trucks, tipper, container, sky-lifts, reefers and more, thus giving its customers a wide range of value-packed vehicles to choose from.
On the bus side, the company expects to sell good numbers when the school bus orders start flowing in the coming months. It has over 40 per cent share in the school bus segment and has been known for its expertise in the space. In the public transportation segment, with growing demand for smaller buses for rural connectivity, the company is keen on tapping the potential in the midi-bus segment and is targeting good orders as part of the JnNurm II scheme. State transport corporations (STCs) like APSRTC, KSRTC, UPSRTC, etc., are operating a number of SML buses.
SML is also present in the ultra-luxury coach segment with the Isuzu-branded premium coaches, over 200 of which are already running on Indian roads. The vehicle offers good value for money in the premium segment, offering an impressive range of features for the benefit of both the operators and passengers. The product is also priced competitively owing to the local bus body building done at the company’s facility.
SML has a single manufacturing unit in India, near Chandigarh, with an annual production capacity of 18,000 chasses which could be hiked to nearly 30,000 units with a small additional investment. The company has its own bus body building facility with a capacity of building 4,000 bodies per annum, on a two-shift basis. Besides, SML has also partnered with two other companies for its bus body building requirements.
The company operates more than 120 dealer locations across the country, with additional authorized service centres and trained mechanics offering service back-up. On the cards is a toll-free number for handling service queries which would make things easier for its huge number of customers who operate SML trucks and buses across the country.