• Forays into battery-electric market with the all-electric Next Generation eCanter
• Entering light-duty truck segment in Indian market
• Sets long-term readiness strategy for CO2-neutral propulsion in future products

Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany/Chennai, India – Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (”DICV“), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG (“Daimler Truck”) today announced the market launch of the all-electric light-duty truck Next Generation eCanter in the Indian market. This marks the DICV’s foray into the Indian battery electric commercial vehicle market and the company’s push into the light-duty truck segment in India. The light-duty electric truck will be launched in the market within the upcoming six to twelve months. The market launch marks DICVs first step towards the larger vision of decarbonization their product portfolio in the long term.

Daimler Truck is committed to the Paris Climate Protection Agreement. Daimler Truck wants to make CO₂-neutral transport a success and thus contribute to combat climate change. With the clear vision to decarbonize the transportation industry and reduce resource consumption, Daimler Truck is striving for its new trucks and buses to be CO₂-neutral in Europe, Japan and USA by 2039 and globally by 2050. DICV is working on the readiness of a CO₂-neutral product portfolio in line with Daimler Truck’s global decarbonization vision and the overall target for India as soon as possible following the above mentioned core markets.

Satyakam Arya, Managing Director & CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles: “All our efforts are being put into achieving robust readiness for our future products that will feature CO₂e-neutral propulsion technologies in the long term. The launch of the all-electric eCanter in India, within the next 6 to 12 months, is the first step in our long-term strategy to decarbonize our product portfolio. However, the reality is that diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) and CO₂-neutral propulsion technologies will continue to co-exist in the Indian market for the foreseeable future. Therefore, our initial focus with the eCanter is to achieve product and service excellence, along with customer acceptance. Over the next two decades we will have a firm footing with decarbonized transportation solutions and will be making progress towards becoming a leader in sustainable transportation in India.”

About the eCanter 

The battery electric platform originated in at Daimler Truck’s subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) Japan where the series production of the first-generation eCanter started already in 2017. The all-new, Next-Generation eCanter had its world premiere in Japan and Europe in the second half of 2022. Since the launch of the first-generation in 2017, the eCanter has sold in hundreds in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. The proven, Next Generation eCanter will have significant presence in major markets around the world with more than 40 variants between 4.25 and 8.55 tons and numerous body options.

About DICV 

DICV started as a wholly-owned Daimler Truck subsidiary in 2012 with the ambition to transform the Indian commercial vehicle industry with new benchmarks in engineering, safety and comfort in BharatBenz branded trucks and buses. With a broad product portfolio between 9 and 55 tons, BharatBenz trucks and buses are tailored to various customer applications. Since 2012, DICV exported produced and exported more than 240,000 trucks and buses.

DICV is working towards becoming CO₂e-neutral on the balance-sheet by 2025. Currently, close to 90% of the facility’s energy requirements in our plant comes from renewable energy sources. The company’s Solar Photovoltaic Unit/Park generates 4.6 MW of renewable energy, reducing CO₂e-emissions by around 4500 tons every year. Furthermore, the company inaugurated a concentrated solar thermal plant, reducing overall use of propane gas in the plant by 60 tons. This reduction in propane alone leads to a reduction of 13.2 tons of CO₂ e-emissions per year. DICV has a 4.000+ diverse, direct and indirect workforce across its plant operations in Oragadam plant near Chennai (Tamil Nadu), and in regional offices across India. As an integral part of Daimler Truck’s global production network for trucks and buses, the DICV plant in Chennai is the only location worldwide producing engines, transmissions, trucks and buses at the same site catering to four brands – BharatBenz, FUSO, Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner.