MAN drives in with Force - Team-BHP

tsk1979 · 18th October 2006, 16:01

After Volvo, its the turn of another biggie to enter the Heavy Vehicle segment.
MAN Nutzfahrzeuge (MAN) has signed a JV with Force motors, and started production of heavy vehicles.
http://www.business-standard.com/com...o=260273&tab=r
Today's economic times has a big advert by MAN regarding the same.
Looks like after the car segment, its the turn of the Heavy vehicle segment to face the heat. Till now it was Tata Motors which ruled the roost, with Leyland dominating the South Indian bus scene.

amit · 18th October 2006, 17:03

Though MAN wouldn't sell as much as the TATA's and Leyland's, the coming of better looking, better performing trucks is great news for India. At the same time, we need to train our truck drivers ASAP. Imagine a 300bhp Volvo or MAN being driven by one our maniacal truck drivers! I read somewhere that Volvo trains drivers before delivery of the trucks, maybe MAN should do something similar or our death roads are going to turn more deadly!

esteem_lover · 18th October 2006, 19:04

great news. i just hope more truck manufacturers would come to india. scania, nissan, mercedes etc. i am already seeing Eicher making bigger capacity trucks. how are they doing , any idea ?

GTO · 19th October 2006, 12:05

Saw a MAN truck on the expressway over the weekend. Dont know too much about trucks but Monkey (who uses them extensively) speaks very highly of MAN. He was telling us of his driving experience in one with 22 (?) forward gear ratios!

Its a great sign. Of times to come. Better road infrastructure is a given since all of these trucking biggies do their homework pretty darn well.

navin · 19th October 2006, 12:25

MAN is great stuff GTO. I drove a 14 gear monster once for a few hundred yards. Monkey uses some nice stuff.

directinjection · 19th October 2006, 16:17

With the entry of Maruti in 1983, the car industry and market in India underwent a sea change. A few years later, the entry of 100 CC Japanese-origin bikes transformed India's two-wheeler industry. However, unfortunately, the Indian auto revolution completely bypassed the truck and bus sector, notwithstanding the Indo-Jap LCVs which entered Indian market around the same time and had raised some hope. True, Tata and Ashok Leyland did upgrade their range (mainly by fitting more fuel-efficient and less polluting engines in their World War II design chassis, with designs sourced from Cummins and Hino respectively) but no revolutionary changes took place. What they produce is not the complete vehicle but just a chassis fitted with the bare essentials which then goes to a typical, road-side body builder who does a miserable job of body building using the most primitive construction methods.

Today, while Indian made cars and two wheelers compare favourably with their counterparts abroad (at least in their respective segments) the same can't be said about Indian trucks and buses which, in terms of design, safety features, ergonomics, styling and looks continue to be decadent even today. True, we have some Volvos, but what are their numbers? Have they displaced the old-generation vehicles the way Maruti (and others) displaced the Ambassadors and Premier Padminis? Unfortunately not.

One sincerely hopes that the entry of MAN would be on a scale much bigger than that of Volvo. In this connection, it is pertinent to note that the truck models chosen for India are not from MAN's top-of-the-line range but are actually older generation models no longer produced in Germany that are much more relevant for the Indian market.

For years one has been hearing about ARAI Pune having framed elaborate rules and standards that must be followed by all bus and truck body manufacturers but for reasons best known to Govt., they haven't been announced yet. One wonders which lobby is at work here?

Best of luck to you MAN and Force! May your numbers multiply!

Cheers!

esteem_lover · 20th October 2006, 13:21

well said, direct.

it is unfortunate that the truck & bus industry is ages behind everything else here in india. in the last decade, we have moved forward in leaps & bounds in all discipline, but there seems to be no inclination to take this industry forward. our trucks & buses are the most dangerous for people to travel in as well as for other users of the roads. even volvo does not take safety issues very seriously. i am yet to see a volvo bus with seat belts, which is an absolute neccessity.

no points for guessing who the 2 important folks who must be responsible for this state of affairs.

Sam Kapasi · 20th October 2006, 14:47

excellent. I love MAN trucks, I've never driven one of those, but yes GTO, my BIL used to drive them, 22 gears it is.
I love truscks and cannot wait to see one of those on the highway. Iveco, Scania, Volvo, Eicher and MAN. This is gonna be something.

navin · 20th October 2006, 15:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Iveco, Scania, Volvo, Eicher and MAN. This is gonna be something.

Think of the ICE they could contain!

Mad Monkey · 20th October 2006, 16:19

oh MAN !!

the ones that are going to be sold in india are not going to be like theese ones
way less power and torque

2L8uLoose · 20th October 2006, 16:26

Nice pictures...
Monkey...what cam did you use??

Mad Monkey · 20th October 2006, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2L8uLoose

Nice pictures...
Monkey...what cam did you use??

The type that takes pictures

2L8uLoose · 20th October 2006, 16:49

Well would you look at that.. the monkey made a funny!
I guess it serves me right for asking the primate a serious question...
I guess that'll teach me...

rks · 20th October 2006, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Monkey

I am wondering how this vehicle is ever going to complete the turn unless at least some of the rear wheels towards the front can also turn.

Mad Monkey · 20th October 2006, 18:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by rks

I am wondering how this vehicle is ever going to complete the turn unless at least some of the rear wheels towards the front can also turn.

this is how

18th October 2006, 16:01	#1 (permalink)
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 11,273 View My Garage	MAN drives in with Force After Volvo, its the turn of another biggie to enter the Heavy Vehicle segment. MAN Nutzfahrzeuge (MAN) has signed a JV with Force motors, and started production of heavy vehicles. http://www.business-standard.com/com...o=260273&tab=r Today's economic times has a big advert by MAN regarding the same. Looks like after the car segment, its the turn of the Heavy vehicle segment to face the heat. Till now it was Tata Motors which ruled the roost, with Leyland dominating the South Indian bus scene. __________________ Reclaimed, wrung dry and recycled....!

18th October 2006, 17:03	#2 (permalink)
amit Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 3,238 Infractions: 0/1 (8)	Though MAN wouldn't sell as much as the TATA's and Leyland's, the coming of better looking, better performing trucks is great news for India. At the same time, we need to train our truck drivers ASAP. Imagine a 300bhp Volvo or MAN being driven by one our maniacal truck drivers! I read somewhere that Volvo trains drivers before delivery of the trucks, maybe MAN should do something similar or our death roads are going to turn more deadly! __________________ Have you ever noticed that everybody driving slower then you is an idiot and everybody going faster then you is a maniac?

18th October 2006, 19:04	#3 (permalink)
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras Posts: 6,266 View My Garage	great news. i just hope more truck manufacturers would come to india. scania, nissan, mercedes etc. i am already seeing Eicher making bigger capacity trucks. how are they doing , any idea ? __________________ "Keep your friends close, Keep your enemies closer"

19th October 2006, 12:05	#4 (permalink)
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 18,786 View My Garage	Saw a MAN truck on the expressway over the weekend. Dont know too much about trucks but Monkey (who uses them extensively) speaks very highly of MAN. He was telling us of his driving experience in one with 22 (?) forward gear ratios! Its a great sign. Of times to come. Better road infrastructure is a given since all of these trucking biggies do their homework pretty darn well. __________________ GTO Work backward from your imagination, not forward from the past! Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the NEW Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

19th October 2006, 12:25	#5 (permalink)
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: mumbai Posts: 13,262	MAN is great stuff GTO. I drove a 14 gear monster once for a few hundred yards. Monkey uses some nice stuff. __________________ Scixelsyd Etinu

19th October 2006, 16:17	#6 (permalink)
directinjection BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Delhi/Faridabad Posts: 882	With the entry of Maruti in 1983, the car industry and market in India underwent a sea change. A few years later, the entry of 100 CC Japanese-origin bikes transformed India's two-wheeler industry. However, unfortunately, the Indian auto revolution completely bypassed the truck and bus sector, notwithstanding the Indo-Jap LCVs which entered Indian market around the same time and had raised some hope. True, Tata and Ashok Leyland did upgrade their range (mainly by fitting more fuel-efficient and less polluting engines in their World War II design chassis, with designs sourced from Cummins and Hino respectively) but no revolutionary changes took place. What they produce is not the complete vehicle but just a chassis fitted with the bare essentials which then goes to a typical, road-side body builder who does a miserable job of body building using the most primitive construction methods. Today, while Indian made cars and two wheelers compare favourably with their counterparts abroad (at least in their respective segments) the same can't be said about Indian trucks and buses which, in terms of design, safety features, ergonomics, styling and looks continue to be decadent even today. True, we have some Volvos, but what are their numbers? Have they displaced the old-generation vehicles the way Maruti (and others) displaced the Ambassadors and Premier Padminis? Unfortunately not. One sincerely hopes that the entry of MAN would be on a scale much bigger than that of Volvo. In this connection, it is pertinent to note that the truck models chosen for India are not from MAN's top-of-the-line range but are actually older generation models no longer produced in Germany that are much more relevant for the Indian market. For years one has been hearing about ARAI Pune having framed elaborate rules and standards that must be followed by all bus and truck body manufacturers but for reasons best known to Govt., they haven't been announced yet. One wonders which lobby is at work here? Best of luck to you MAN and Force! May your numbers multiply! Cheers! Last edited by directinjection : 19th October 2006 at 16:33.

20th October 2006, 13:21	#7 (permalink)
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras Posts: 6,266 View My Garage	well said, direct. it is unfortunate that the truck & bus industry is ages behind everything else here in india. in the last decade, we have moved forward in leaps & bounds in all discipline, but there seems to be no inclination to take this industry forward. our trucks & buses are the most dangerous for people to travel in as well as for other users of the roads. even volvo does not take safety issues very seriously. i am yet to see a volvo bus with seat belts, which is an absolute neccessity. no points for guessing who the 2 important folks who must be responsible for this state of affairs. __________________ "Keep your friends close, Keep your enemies closer"

20th October 2006, 14:47	#8 (permalink)
Sam Kapasi Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (but watch this space) Posts: 6,218 View My Garage	excellent. I love MAN trucks, I've never driven one of those, but yes GTO, my BIL used to drive them, 22 gears it is. I love truscks and cannot wait to see one of those on the highway. Iveco, Scania, Volvo, Eicher and MAN. This is gonna be something. __________________ *“I am matter and you are matter, but it doesn’t matter.” – Captain Beefheart*

20th October 2006, 16:19	#10 (permalink)
Mad Monkey BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 210	oh MAN !! the ones that are going to be sold in india are not going to be like theese ones way less power and torque

20th October 2006, 16:26	#11 (permalink)
2L8uLoose BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 614 View My Garage	Nice pictures... Monkey...what cam did you use?? Last edited by 2L8uLoose : 20th October 2006 at 16:29.

20th October 2006, 16:49	#13 (permalink)
2L8uLoose BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 614 View My Garage	Well would you look at that.. the monkey made a funny! I guess it serves me right for asking the primate a serious question... I guess that'll teach me...

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