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Old 1st April 2012, 00:47   #16
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashley2 View Post
For us to understand, can you throw some light on features/technology better Volvo 8400.

City bus segment should not be the case for Mercedes as in Intercity coaches, where the equation is still/highly in favour for Volvo.
Asking price of MB should be completely deserved by it and not just for the erstwhile brand name.
Apologies for a very late reply. I can list a few features of this bus which I can recall at the moment. I dont know if they can make this bus better than Volvo since i dont know what Volvo has to offer. But these features will definitely make it a very good vehicle.

Low floor.
Pneumatic driver seat:
Self adjusting driver seat with pneumatic suspension plus tilt adjustable steering wheel.
Automatic gearbox: Automatic transmission with built-in retarder.
Reverse camera: Optional.
Disk brakes: Disk brakes with ABS.
Air suspension: Electronically controlled air suspension which also helps to increase the body height and incorporates kneeling function wherein the bus tilts on one side for easy ingress and egress.
A/C: With optional heating function for cold regions.
Good leg room.
Announcement system.
Electronic display boards.
Wheel chair ramp:
A ramp for easy boarding of wheel chairs.
Robust and strong body.
Euro IV.


Quote:
Originally Posted by silverado View Post
I have respect for the drivers who drive these poorly maintained buses.
Funniest part was the tussle between PMT and PMPML over new buses door locations ( BRTS buses, left side or right side ) and now they have buses with doors on both sides.

There are few buses which have first step which is very very high.

Mercedes Benz buses will surely entice people back to bus travel which is critically the need of hour to decongest our cities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by simplyself View Post
I do not know whether the Benz buses would entice people back to public transport but would surely make a dream come true to board a Mercedes Benz
With all the features offered by MB, it will surely entice people to public transport. The bus will be comfortable for passengers and drivers alike. Any one would love to travel in such buses. Transport bodies should understand the need to upgrade to modern buses since the present machines at most of the places are outdated.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nanduchitnis View Post
Except in the large Metros like Mumbai/Delhi/Chennai these buses may work. But Pune no way. Fares will be high and PCMT will really mess these buses to scrap in no time.

If PCMT does introduce these buses, will definitely ride in them !
I too would like to see these vehicles plying on our roads. PMPML or PCMT cant afford the mistake of abusing these buses. If they get these buses they will have to maintain them to get profit out of them. The drivers will get a special training to drive these buses. But the trained drivers must be retained on the buses to obtain the maximum efficiency.
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Old 1st April 2012, 11:30   #17
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Tejas Ingle View Post
Apologies for a very late reply. I can list a few features of this bus which I can recall at the moment. I dont know if they can make this bus better than Volvo since i dont know what Volvo has to offer. But these features will definitely make it a very good vehicle.
Let me take it point by point

Quote:
Low floor.
Low floor, or E+0 setup is what the standard is for city buses. Both 8400 and the Merc C125RLE have the same setup.
Quote:
Pneumatic driver seat: [/b]Self adjusting driver seat with pneumatic suspension plus tilt adjustable steering wheel.
I do not know what this self-adjusting driver seat is. I would like to have the driver seat to be adjusted manually, as a machine/computer cannot read what is comfortable for me. Adjustable driver seat is fine, and it is standard across all buses/trucks now. Added suspension is provided by Volvo also.
Quote:
Automatic gearbox: Automatic transmission with built-in retarder.
Provided in Volvo 8400 as well
Quote:
Reverse camera: Optional.
I think this is standard in Volvo 8400
Quote:
Disk brakes: Disk brakes with ABS.
Standard in Volvo 8400
Quote:
Air suspension: Electronically controlled air suspension which also helps to increase the body height and incorporates kneeling function wherein the bus tilts on one side for easy ingress and egress.
I think this is what Volvo and others call Kneeling. Again, standard feature on Volvo 8400
Quote:
A/C: With optional heating function for cold regions.
I know for sure that Volvo 8400 is an airconditioned bus. Guess it has a heating provision too.
Quote:
Good leg room.
A photo might help here, to say which one has better leg room. Good if they provide better leg room. I find the leg room offered by Volvo good enough for the city commute.
Quote:
Announcement system.
Electronic display boards.
Wheel chair ramp:
A ramp for easy boarding of wheel chairs.
Robust and strong body.
Nothing new here again.
Quote:
Euro IV.
All metros should comply with Euro-IV/BS4. Else they cannot sell the bus here. Volvo, AshLey, TM, Corona have all launched BS4/Euro-4 buses.

Last edited by silversteed : 1st April 2012 at 11:34.
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Old 1st April 2012, 11:48   #18
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

Thanks for sharing and the features listed are available in all the Ultra low floor buses available in India including TM/AL.
The robustness of chassis should be the trump card.
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Old 1st April 2012, 13:36   #19
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Tejas Ingle View Post
Mercedes-Benz launched its City Bus today in a grand event at its Chakan plant. The bus was very well appreciated by the present guests. The bus was on display after it was inaugurated. The guests also got a ride in the bus and a guided tour around the City Bus production plant.
Lets hope that citizens get to 'Travel With The Star' as soon as possible.
Some pics.
Despite its bread-box design, still looks good with the chrome hubcaps and the star logo! Oue citizens certainly deserve it but do our transport orgs.? :(

Quote:
Originally Posted by tushky View Post
yeah, give these buses to PMPML and after 6 months you will see the bus with lots of dust on it,headlamps replaced with local round one, also the taillights broken, damaged automatic opening doors, patrician in windshield
No big deal- APSRTC can do the same or even more- add rear windshields held up with drilled-on metal brackets with rubber inserts!

We've had just 2 Volvos introduced as "Deluxe" buses here and you can imagine the state they are in by now!

That having said, I still feel we public deserve a much better public transportation for all the taxes we are paying, than the pathetic pieces of junk that we are forced to travel in if we dont have our own vehicles!
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Old 1st April 2012, 17:23   #20
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

Though it is good to see sleek, new, ultra modern, high cost buses roaming our streets, stopping to take one aboard, I still cannot reconcile myself to the fact that these ridiculously high priced buses cater to a few whereas many routes in the hinterland do not have buses and the people still hang on to an already overladen auto rickshaw.

Sorry guys, no offence meant, but I do not support spending such huge amounts for city public travel. Lesser buses would do the duty, even if they are slightly less comfortable. What we need is not the luxuriousness of the buses but the frequency of buses and lesser crowds so that we can travel in relative comfort.

APSRTC has many more worthwhile things to do than to splurge money on these buses.
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Old 1st April 2012, 17:32   #21
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Stanher View Post
No big deal- APSRTC can do the same or even more- add rear windshields held up with drilled-on metal brackets with rubber inserts!
We've had just 2 Volvos introduced as "Deluxe" buses here and you can imagine the state they are in by now!
That having said, I still feel we public deserve a much better public transportation for all the taxes we are paying, than the pathetic pieces of junk that we are forced to travel in if we dont have our own vehicles!
Judging by the current standards of maintenance of Volvos, every new bus, irrespective of the make, will be thrashed around.

One thing I must concede - a few dents here or there, or a few cracked windshields do not matter. To be fair, no organization can take the burden of fixing every small thing.

For that matter, what happens to our cars if there is a dent/scratch?

Even private players are no good, whether it is Kesineni/SVR etc. One thing I have observed is Kaleswari is better of the lot as far as drivimg goes.
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Old 1st April 2012, 18:05   #22
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Tejas Ingle View Post
Automatic gearbox: Automatic transmission with built-in retarder.
What type is it. AMT (automated manual) or is it Allison style with torque converter? Also how many speeds?
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Old 1st April 2012, 22:23   #23
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by simplyself View Post
Though it is good to see sleek, new, ultra modern, high cost buses roaming our streets, stopping to take one aboard, I still cannot reconcile myself to the fact that these ridiculously high priced buses cater to a few whereas many routes in the hinterland do not have buses and the people still hang on to an already overladen auto rickshaw.

Sorry guys, no offence meant, but I do not support spending such huge amounts for city public travel. Lesser buses would do the duty, even if they are slightly less comfortable. What we need is not the luxuriousness of the buses but the frequency of buses and lesser crowds so that we can travel in relative comfort.

APSRTC has many more worthwhile things to do than to splurge money on these buses.
I have a strong feeling of the same as you have.
There are hundreds of routes where frequency needs to increased and connectivity is to be provided. With out looking at them or rather stabilizing them, many STU's jump into this ultra luxury band wagon serving few people.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
What type is it. AMT (automated manual) or is it Allison style with torque converter? Also how many speeds?
These are conventional AT's made by Voith. and not Allision.
But for Leymatic no AMT's have hit the road yet.
I shift is likely to hit before this month end.
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Old 2nd April 2012, 08:47   #24
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus



Don't think it's easy for Mercedes to match Volvo sales in India in a while. They are late entrants into the segment and not ready to match/undercut Volvos when it comes to pricing. One sample of the KSRTC/BMTC, the only profit-making RTC which has the largest fleet of A/C buses (read Volvos) in the country reveals a lot of details. And they are NOT exactly happy with the MB buses. They did extensive MB trials for many months and from their order book, it looks like they've decided to stick with Volvo for now.

Also note that the automotive scene in India does not exactly follow the world order (maybe for different reasons). Examples: Suzuki dominates the market here, but hardly has presence in the outside world. The brand positioning of Skoda Vs. VW in India compared to elsewhere.

End of the day, the Indian customer is very value conscious even in the luxury segment. MB will need to match/beat Volvo in pricing AND offer more value (features, service, reliability, etc.) to the customer before they can try to cash in on their world-wide brand standing.
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Old 2nd April 2012, 09:29   #25
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by andromeda View Post

Don't think it's easy for Mercedes to match Volvo sales in India in a while. They are late entrants into the segment and not ready to match/undercut Volvos when it comes to pricing. ....

...End of the day, the Indian customer is very value conscious even in the luxury segment. MB will need to match/beat Volvo in pricing AND offer more value (features, service, reliability, etc.) to the customer before they can try to cash in on their world-wide brand standing.
IMO, the pricing is a part of global MB's stategy Vs Volvo, where in MB always command premium over Volvo.
Not sure whether it will work in India as rightly pointed out by you!
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Old 3rd April 2012, 21:27   #26
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
What type is it. AMT (automated manual) or is it Allison style with torque converter? Also how many speeds?
Its a four speed planetary.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashley2 View Post
I shift is likely to hit before this month end.
What is the technology in I-shift? I mean how does it work or how is different than normal transmissions?

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Originally Posted by silversteed View Post
I do not know what this self-adjusting driver seat is.
The stiffness of suspension adjusts according to the drivers weight.
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Old 4th April 2012, 20:56   #27
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Tejas Ingle View Post
What is the technology in I-shift? I mean how does it work or how is different than normal transmissions?...
Normal transmissions have a Clutch and gear shifting is done manually.

In Automatic transmissions, there is no clutch and gear shifts automatically.

In Automated transmissions, there is clutch but gear changes automatically.
Gear shift is realised with some actuators and related mechanisms with electronics- this includes some ECU(Micro processor) which understands the road conditions from various inputs and changes gears accordingly.
The system can be either pnematic, hydraullic or completely electronic.

I-shift is type of the above said Automated transmission.
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Old 5th April 2012, 01:54   #28
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Ashley2 View Post
The system can be either pnematic, hydraullic or completely electronic.

I-shift is type of the above said Automated transmission.
Of the 3, which style is the I-shift? and is it by ZF?
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Old 5th April 2012, 13:11   #29
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Originally Posted by Mpower View Post
Of the 3, which style is the I-shift? and is it by ZF?
I-Shift is I believe a patented technology from Volvo. Not sure though!

ishift - I-Shift : Volvo Trucks

http://www.volvotrucks.com/SiteColle...ure_050510.pdf
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Old 5th April 2012, 15:13   #30
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Re: Mercedes-Benz launches its City Bus

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Of the 3, which style is the I-shift? and is it by ZF?
No idea what is the system that's operating.
Existing 6 speed gear box are from ZF only and so this should also be from ZF.

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Originally Posted by AlphaKilo View Post
I-Shift is I believe a patented technology from Volvo. Not sure though!
To my knowledge, this is not a patented technology from Volvo.
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