After coming together in July 2008 in the form of VE Commercial Vehicles, Volvo and Eicher have introduced Eicher VE series of heavy duty vehicles. These include vehicles from 16 to 40 tonnes GVW including 4x2, 6x2, 8x2 rigid haulage trucks, 4x2 tractor-trailer and 4x2 and 6x4 tippers.
One of these that was introduced at the Auto Expo 2010 was the Terra 25 6x4 rigid tipper. This platform can also be adapted for concrete mixers. Speaking to BSM, Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles said that Volvo helped in the validation and distribution of the new product as they have been in the segment for 10 years. The Terra 25 is powered by a Cummins 180hp engine, and its quality checks, controls and improvement have been done by Nissan Diesel.
Eicher also showcased a 650mm floor height, 12-metre, rear-engine city bus. Known as the RESLF (rear engine semi low floor), the bus is equipped with a single step at the front, automatic integrated door locking, touch sensors and more. The RESLF bus will come with different variants like diesel, CNG, BSIII, air-conditioned, etc. The bus will be introduced in the third quarter of this year. Lal told BSM that with clever space utilisation and ergonomics, the new bus will be a 48-seater as opposed to the competition, which comes equipped with 42 seats. The semi-low floor bus is targeted at municipal corporations in the country and their names will be revealed closer to the launch.
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