DK Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, inaugurated Prawaas 4.0, which is being held at the BIEC Exhibition Grounds, Bengaluru. The event organised by the Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) between 29 August and 31 August 2024 is a premier multimodal transport event where bus and cab manufacturers, dealers, and private cab and bus operator come together to showcase their offerings in terms of products and services. 

Commercial vehicle manufacturers make it to the event to showcase their new developments in terms of technologies, gadgets and vehicles. Supported by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Union Ministry of Heavy Industries and Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (Government of India), the exhibition is supported by six local host associations including the Karnataka State Tourism Private Transport Owner’s Association, Karnataka State Travel Operator’s Association, Karnataka Tourist Motor Cab Maxi Cab Owners Welfare Association (KTOA), Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association (BTTOA), Karnataka State Tourist Bus Operators Association and Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Federation. 

Encouraging the entire operators’ fraternity, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, mentioned, “I am honored to be part of Prawaas 4.0, a significant event organized by the Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India. I extend my gratitude to the organizers of this flagship show focused on the future of public transport, technologies, and services.”

“Transportation is crucial for economic growth, providing essential mobility for people and goods. Buses, in particular, play a vital role in India’s public transport system. However, with 93% of buses currently running on diesel, we must shift to greener fuel options like ethanol, methanol, biogas, CNG, LNG, electric, and green hydrogen. This transition is not only necessary for economic viability but also for reducing pollution and making our public transport system sustainable,” he added. 

In his inaugural speech, DK Shivakumar, said, "We acknowledge the vital role of the transport industry, serving 92 percent of the common man and providing significant employment opportunities. Your resilience, especially during challenging times like COVID-19, reflects your dedication to the nation. The Government of Karnataka is committed to supporting you; let's join hands, think, and work together to find solutions. Progress begins with unity, and success follows when we collaborate. Joining together is the beginning, thinking together is the progress and working together is success."

The inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Ojing Tasing, Minister for Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, Co-operation and Transport, Government of Arunachal Pradesh; Yoonus Khan, Former Transport Minister, Government of Rajasthan; Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors, and S. S. Gill, Chief Commercial Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. 

To be visited by state’s ministers, union and state government authorities in addition to the representatives of various transport departments, the three-day event is hosting 5000 registered operators. Larger delegation from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and West Bengal will be visiting the show. A significant number of visitors will come from Madhya Pradesh. From the North Eastern region of the country, a special delegation of over 80 members will visit the show. 

With a diverse lineup of events, including BOCI Day, an extensive exhibition, a conference, an awards function, leadership talks and panel discussions featuring industry leaders from across the country, Prawaas 4.0 is witness to a new initiative, BOCI Yuwa. This initiative is aimed at engaging and empowering the younger generation in the respective sector to achieve greater success.

This year’s Conference with over 100 experts addressing Multimodal transportation, PPP model, School buses, Tourism, Electric vehicles (EVs), Insurance, and Car industry will be attended by over 1500 industry representatives. 

The auto companies as top exhibitors include Tata Motors, Volvo Eicher, RedBus, Veera, Abhibus, Prakash, Nippon Paint, JBM Group, Eka Mobility, Repos Energy, Ashok Leyland, Eberspächer, Bosch, Trans ACNR, Spheros Motherson, Futureautotech-Global Ventures, Audi, BMW Deutsche Motoren, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Renault, Maruti Suzuki and others. 

Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group and the country’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, has opened a new dealership for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Siliguri, West Bengal. With this new facility, which happens to be the fifth LCV dealership in West Bengal, the company now has a robust LCV distribution network with more than 800 touchpoints.

Located at Eastern Bypass Road, SBM Warehouse, Eastern Bypass, Bhaktinagar, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, the new dealership will be managed by channel partner Happie Trucking. The main workshop facility (service and spares) is also strategically located at Debgram, Ware House, Thakur Nagar, New Jalpaiguri, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Equipped with advanced tools, quick service bays and sophisticated infrastructure, the facility is all set to ensure superior customer experience.

Viplav Shah, Head – LCV Business, Ashok Leyland, said, “We are excited to further strengthen our presence in this region. West Bengal and Eastern India, at large, have been a key market for us. We have always recognised the potential this region has, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in this geography. We have been working on creating a strong foothold in the region, and the new dealership in Siliguri will bolster our presence in this geography. The overwhelming success of our ‘DOST Range’ and now the ‘BADA DOST’ can be attributed to the robustness of our products and the extensive reach of our network. All our products have been receiving great responses from our customers, thanks to their best-in-class mileage and class-leading performance, backed by extensive sales and aftersales support. We are extremely proud that our track record of service retention levels is exemplary, with close to 70 percent of our customers returning to our dealer workshops even after the warranty period. We, as always, would remain committed to maintaining and even enhancing the level of customer service and satisfaction. This new dealership is being opened to further strengthen our reach, in line with our commitment.”

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), recently hosted Jan Thesleff, the Ambassador of Sweden to India, at its manufacturing facilities in Pithampur. He was accompanied by Markus Lundgren, Counsellor and Head of Trade section, Embassy of Sweden and Sofia Hogman, Swedish Trade Commissioner, Business Sweden.

The CV maker states that its VE Powertrain plant is a successful symbol of India-Sweden collaboration. The facility leverages India’s skilled workforce and technical expertise while positioning VECV as a hub for development and manufacturing that meets global standards. Notably, VEPT has been producing Euro 6 (BS VI) compliant engines since 2013, supplying over 40 countries.

Jan Thesleff said, “Currently, more than 280 Swedish companies operate in India, contributing to sectors ranging from automobiles and communications to healthcare and defence, directly generating over 240,000 jobs. The Eicher-Volvo joint venture exemplifies the strategic benefits of this partnership by harnessing the strengths of Sweden and India and fostering mutual growth and technological advancement. I am thoroughly impressed by the advanced technology products and sustainable manufacturing processes I witnessed today at VECV. Their remarkable achievements epitomise the shared innovation, growth, and sustainable development that Sweden-India partnership continues to deliver for the benefit of both nations.”

Vinod Aggarwal, Managing Director & CEO, VECV, said, “We are honoured to welcome His Excellency Ambassador Jan Thesleff and the team from the Swedish Embassy to our Pithampur facility. Over the past 16 years, the VECV joint venture has not only driven the modernisation of India’s commercial vehicle sector but has also enabled Volvo Group to source world-class engines and components, made in India, for its global requirements. The success of this joint venture is rooted in the principles of trust, mutual respect, and win-win collaboration, combining Volvo Group's technology leadership with Eicher’s deep understanding of the Indian market. VECV looks forward to building on this success in the future”.

At present, the company sells CNG, LNG, electric and diesel trucks and buses in India under the Eicher and Volvo brands.

Manba Finance, a leading non-banking finance company (NBFC), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Piaggio Vehicles (PVPL), the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Piaggio Group, to provide tailored financing solutions to Piaggio three-wheeler customers.

As per the understanding, the partners are set to form a dedicated central coordination team to oversee the implementation. They will focus on key areas such as product structuring, interest rate optimisation, resource allocation, centralised communication, and training to ensure the efficient execution and monitoring of the tie-up.

The MoU was signed by Diego Graffi, CMD, Piaggio Vehicles and Monil Shah, CBO & Director, Manba Finance, in the presence of Amit Sagar, EVP of Sales and Retail Finance, and Nilesh Arya, Head of Retail Finance, Piaggio Vehicles.

The partners state that the collaboration comes as electric three-wheeler sales saw a record high of 65,700 units in October. With this electric three-wheelers are just 16,856 units away from surpassing the CY2023 total of 583,597 units.

“We are proud to collaborate with one of India’s leading three-wheeler manufacturers, a trusted brand among aspiring entrepreneurs across the country. This partnership strengthens our footprint in the three-wheeler segment while enabling us to provide seamless digital lending solutions to our customers," said Shah.

German automotive component supplier Mahle has bagged a new contract from MAN Truck & Bus to supply components for the hydrogen engine of its ‘MAN hTGX’ truck.

The hydrogen truck uses a direct-injection engine with 6 cylinders, 16.8-litre displacement, which produces 383 kW power. Mahle will supply the hydrogen power cell unit, consisting of piston, piston rings, piston pin and cylinder liner. It will also supply components to be used in the valve train.

Interestingly, MAN aims to build around 200 units of the hydrogen truck for selected markets from 2025.

Dr Roger Busch, member of the Mahle Management Committee and Head of Sales, said, “Mahle has successfully transferred its 100 years of expertise in engine components into the future. Our state-of-the-art pistons and other parts make the internal combustion engine fit for hydrogen and thus climate-neutral. Today, we are able to fulfil our customers’ expectations in terms of performance, efficiency and service life.”

The component supplier says it has successfully tested its engine components to meet the specific requirements of hydrogen operation.

The company claims that the Mahle hydrogen power cell unit, in particular the oil consumption of the motor and the so-called blow-by, i.e. the leakage of hydrogen gas into the crankcase, can be reduced to a minimum. This enables a robust and failure-free operation of the motor.

Mahle at present is working on around 30 hydrogen engine projects for customers in the on- and off-highway sector, with more series launches from its customers being planned in 2025.