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Volvo Trucks, the market leader in the European premium trucks market in India with over 65 per cent of market share has recently launched three new global platforms in India. The new range includes the flagship Volvo FH, voted 'International Truck of the Year 2014' in Europe, the Volvo FM and the Volvo FMX. The new range boasts of important improvements in all crucial areas: from productivity, fuel efficiency, safety to maximising uptime. The range also introduces unique features such as the intelligent I-Shift automated gearbox technology optimised for tough and rugged mining operating conditions, as well as Volvo's unique Dynafleet telematics system which allows following up on fuel consumption over time, and - together with Volvo Trucks Driver Training services - coach drivers into further improving their fuel saving skills.

Following the press event held at Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO), Whitefield, Bengaluru, more than 150 VIP customers from all over India were invited to experience the three new models that together constitute a significant development in the transportation industry.

Said Philippe Divry, President, Volvo India and Senior Vice President, Volvo Group, "Volvo has invested more than $3 billion and 14 million engineering hours in this project. And just to make perfectly sure of the outcome, we have tested the vehicles for 21 million kilometre (which is more than 500 times driving around the equator). We are the undisputed leader of the premium truck segment in India, and this new range will keep moving the bar further in terms of productivity and efficiency for our customers."

On the FH series, Peter Blomdahl, Director - Range & Maintenance Heavy Duty Trucks and Senior Chief Project Manager, Volvo Group Trucks Technology, had this to say. "The new Volvo FH is an icon reborn, building on a successful heritage and now making a quantum leap taking the lead and setting a new benchmark in India as well as in the rest of the world." He added,"For the Volvo FH series alone, we have spent about 5 million hour on engineering, whereof 500,000 hour were spent on test-engineering, simulations, tests and verifications. When we developed the new Volvo FH, we actually tested more than 200 trucks for a period of up to three years. The accelerated endurance tests simulate 15 years of real use. The extensive test programme has been carried out in many countries under various environments and conditions, also including 20 full scale crash tests complementing advanced technology analysis."

The Volvo FH is an innovative truck built with the driver in focus, and is wired to make operations more efficient, productive, safer and comfortable for over-dimensional cargo transport. The new Volvo FH 520, built grounds up, is more robust leading to increased technical load carrying capacity (GCW) by 33 per cent to 200 tonne. According Anders Mattson, Vice President - Volvo Trucks Global Brand & Strategy Management, the new FM was first launched in Europe during 2013. During 2014, the introduction has continued in South America, Africa and Asia. The FM is sold in close to 140 countries and until today, almost 14,000 of the new FM units have been produced globally. He added, "In India, the new Volvo FM is being introduced on both tractor and rigid variants. The FM is the flexible all-rounder and can be tailormade for very specific body building and customer needs including Euro-IV requirements. To have the right specification will save money for the customers." The power rating of the new Volvo FM 6X4 tractor has been improved from 400 hp to 440 hp leading to increased pulling power. Also, it would now come with a 125 tonne (technical GCW) puller, thereby meeting the latent need of customers to have a product in this range. It is an extremely versatile truck that can be tailored for each specific need of the customer's business. It would also have a Euro-IV 6X4 rigid variant with 420 hp and I-Shift for special applications.

On the new FMX series, Rama Rao, Senior Vice President - Sales, Marketing & Aftermarket, Volvo Trucks, said, "The all new Volvo FMX is an extremely robust, powerful and efficient truck for the toughest operating conditions. It is designed based on enormous experience of Volvo Trucks in India and global markets in rough and deep mining and heavy construction application." He added, "The new FMX is packed with smart new technologies that improve fuel efficiency, and features that minimise driver fatigue and maximise productivity and uptime. It now comes with automated gearbox as an option; The 'I-Shift' for mining, that improves productivity, driving comfort and fuel efficiency. This new I-Shift gearbox is Volvo's fourth generation automated gearbox and is designed and optimised particularly for mining operations."

The Volvo FMX is extremely robust and is the ultimate truck for mining and construction, integrating the experience of Volvo in this segment around the world and especially during its 15 years of leadership in India. The new FMX 440 8X4 is equipped to deliver the best-in-class productivity with an increased body capacity of 19.5 cu m, which allows carrying an additional bucket of payload. Also, it will offer the I-Shift gearbox for mining as an option, which makes it easier to drive the vehicles under the toughest conditions, thereby increasing productivity.

Vinod Aggarwal, Chief Executive Officer, VE Commercial Vehicles, said, "The new range of trucks with its hi-tech capabilities and a wide range of benefits, areequipped to serve every Volvo customer in India, from construction and mining to heavy haulage." Summing up on a high note, he said, "There are countless infrastructure developments taking place in India, providing significant opportunities. We at Volvo Trucks want to maximise our operations off the back of these major developments.We want to offer total peace of mind to our customers and facilitate their growth. With the introduction of the New Volvo truck range, we're confident in our ability to be a key player in this ambitious journey."