Sales of medium- and heavy-duty rigid trucks in India witnessed a vast contraction of 61.5% in the fourth quarter of FY2019-20 to register just 30,973 units, down from 80,355 units during the same quarter of the previous year (2018-19).

Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Company, the South Korean subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors Ltd, in February announced a plan to strengthen its truck line-up over the next few years as part of an initiative to reverse a sharp decline in recent sales.

January 2020 saw Hap Seng Trucks Distribution Sdn Bhd and Daimler Trucks Asia launch a new heavy Fuso truck, the Mitsubishi-Fuso FJ1828R on the Malaysian market.

The new test track is to facilitate the testing and validation agencies to expand its scope of services offered to automakers and suppliers in India.

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd in Mumbai last month unveiled no fewer than 12 all-new BS VI-compliant medium and heavy-duty BharatBenz-branded trucks and buses, which have been fully updated inside and out, said the company.

WABCO India Ltd has signed a development agreement with Oy Tamware Ab for the design and development of bus doors for the Indian commercial vehicle market.

Ashok Leyland Ltd last month started delivering its first batch of BSVI compliant trucks to its customers several months ahead of the BSVI emission standards deadline of April 1, 2020.

Technology partnership manufacturer, Pinnacle Industries Ltd, has partnered with Phylion Battery Company Ltd to establish a lithium-ion battery assembly facility in Maharashtra.

India’s key supplier of exhaust systems, Sharada Motors Industries Ltd and Euro VI exhaust and emission control systems supplier for commercial vehicles, Eberspächer Exhaust Technology International GmbH, which have a 50:50 joint venture called Eberspaecher Sharda Exhaust Technology Pvt Ltd have opened a manufacturing plant in Pune.

CV mirror assembly supplier, Pacoline Industries Pvt Ltd, has developed camera-equipped digital side and rear view mirrors, which can be retrofitted in any current commercial vehicle.

IndoStar Capital Finance Limited, a non-banking finance company, is now focussing more on retail business specifically for the commercial vehicle sector following its purchase of IIFL.

Tata Motors Ltd has been awarded a contract to supply 300 electric buses by Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd, a subsidiary of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, which has responsibility for operating the BRTS buses.