Former bullock cart manufacturer to manufacture Mercedes Benz buses in India

The jalandar based manufacturer really epitomizes the progress India has made as a country,from being a bullock cart manufacturer in 1935 to producing Mercedes Benz buses shortly Sutlej Motors has come a long way.

There where skeptics about the whole concept of air-conditioned luxury bus travel in India,a country know for its poor roads and overcrowded so called dirty buses but how people proved everybody wrong by thronging to the Volvo buses.Volvo has the first mover advantage and it is to be seen how mercedes are able to beat them,maybe offer better quality than Volvo since bus operators are not particularly happy with the quality/reliability of the Volvo buses.Time for volvo bus and truck India to pull up its socks.
*************************************************************
We have tied up with Sutlej Motors for manufacturing buses. We cannot disclose the actual agreement as of now,' DaimlerChrysler's managing director and chief executive officer Wilfried Aulbur said here last month.

The automobile giant based on its experience of the last 3-4 years is already eyeing the Punjab and Chandigarh markets for pushing Mercedes car sales. The company already recognizes industrial hub Ludhiana as the Mercedes capital of India.

According to an announcement in Stuttgart, production of the coaches would start in Pune in the first quarter of next year.

The agreement between DaimlerChrysler and SML includes development, production, marketing, sales and after sales of the rear-engine coaches. While DCIL will manufacture the Mercedes-Benz chassis, SML would build the body for the buses.


SML sources told IANS that the initial order will be for manufacturing 100 Mercedes buses.

Source: