Volvo Buses India has launched a completely in-house built 15-meter sleeper coach B11R 9400 in a bid to energize the market that is still reeling from the throes of COVID pandemic. Akash Passey, President, Bus Division, VE Commercial Vehicles, announced the welcome news formally and expressed hope to make travelling attractive to people. Sarada Vishnubhatla reports.
The Indian economy is steadily getting back on track post the pandemic in the last two years. And, Volvo Buses India has been busy utilizing the lockdown or the market slowdown period to design a new offering – the B11R 9400 sleeper coach – in its bid to revitalize the market.
Akash Passey, President, Bus Division, VE Commercial Vehicles shares: “In the last one year, our customer connect has been excellent. The team has been more out in the market than normal times. And that equity along with introducing these products is what we hope will bring the market back for us when it goes into full action. And that is the context in which we have launched our 15-meter sleeper front engine heavy duty bus.”
Hoping big for normalcy to return ‘to a large extent’ by the middle of 2022, Volvo Buses India is ‘incentivizing’ people to travel by making the idea attractive for them – with a sleeper coach that is completely built in-house at Hosakote facility of the company. Post the government’s directive on common sleeper bus, this step by Volvo Buses India has been welcomed by the market in a big way. The idea is for Volvo Buses to be ready with products by the time the market is back in action.
Passey adds: “Based on that thought process and also going by customers’ demands, we have made this 15-meter sleeper coach with Volvo-quality built completely in house. Designed in India for India, the coach comes with 39 berths, 430 hp, air suspension, ABS, and with a steerable axle enabling it to turn in a much shorter space. This has an 11-litre engine from Sweden, the kit is assembled here onto the chassis.”
And, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is the first customer for the initial 8 coaches.
Market Size – Sleeper Coach Segment
As per the officials, the coach segment of front or rear engine buses is about 6,000 units a year. And this particular coach will cost upwards of Rs. 1.5 crores.
Passey points out: “Today, people are willing to pay a little more to travel in comfort. Bus is an excellent solution to travel for 6-8 hours and if new 4- or 8- lane highways are taken, it takes even lesser time. With the new All India Travel Permit by the central government, inter-state travel is becoming more seamless. Match that with Volvo’s powerful engine, the customer can run the coach up to any number of hours and distance. We see good success for this coach especially now when people have begun traveling. The experience of riding a 15-meter multi-axle coach with air suspension, on smooth highways promises to be great. That will be the pull passengers will feel and thus it becomes profitable for the operators.”
In the current state of the industry where it is showing steady revival, the market traction points to about 50-100 units a year. The coach is pegged as the top-of-the-line product to offer Indian customers.
Advantage Customer
In a country where the brand name becomes synonymous with the definitions of travel comfort, safety and speed, Volvo brings the brand equity which the customers seek actively.
Passey explains: “The rate the customer will get with this product vis-a-vis other products will always be higher.”
He talks about more advantages of buying the new sleeper coach: “Our buses run longer distances because they are built to run for longer hours. These are multi-axle buses with air suspension and hence offer more travel comfort compared to a normal sleeper. On a TCO calculation, once the customer achieves the breakeven point, any revenue from an additional berth is net profit.”
In the city segment, a Volvo bus have a lifespan of 20-25 years whereas in the long-distance segment, it is 15-17 years. As operators take better care of the product, use good quality fuel, train their drivers well, and opt for preventative maintenance Volvo buses are proving to be partners in success for them.
Safety – A Key Parameter
Volvo Buses India adheres to government norms on safety and the new 15-meter sleeper coach boasts of the built-in advanced safety features including cruise control, city braking, disk brakes, and large windscreens.
Passey opines: “For us, safety is non-negotiable. When compared to a bodybuilder, a manufacturer must adhere to a large number of parameters making us more expensive than them. And this is part of SIAM’s ongoing discussion with the Government of India.”
As VE Commercial Vehicle Bus Division, the company wants to shape the future of the Indian bus industry by knowing what the customer needs, and to offer products that cover the entire range – be it – small or medium, to a premium bus.
With the intention of being the top player in offering public transport solutions and last mile connectivity for the customers, Volvo Buses India has already scored the round with the new sleeper coach.