Cambodia is the latest exports destination for Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV).

The wholly owned arm of Daimler AG along with its group company, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation kicked off exports of India-made Fuso trucks to this market recently. In the process, this has become the 13{+t}{+h} global address for DICV whose other markets for these trucks include Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Brunei and Indonesia.

Of the five new Fuso models made at the Oragadam plant near Chennai, the FA, FI and FJ series will be the growth levers for Asia. This is part of a business plan where DICV will look at the Indian market with its Bharat-Benz trucks while Mitsubishi and its Fuso range will be tapped for regions in Asia and Africa. Daimler has made it known that India is a strategic market both in terms of what it has to offer domestically and its obvious benefits as an export hub. The truck and bus has been monopolised for decades by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. Not too many people were convinced that Daimler could make a dent in this formidable stronghold but it has proved that a young generation of fleet operators is open to choosing new entrants in the truck space.

Yet, it is Daimler which is the real visible threat in the coming years. The company has made no secret of its aggressive intent in the market evident from successes in states like Kerala where it is surging ahead. The German automaker is also leveraging global economies of scale for its India business where Mitsubishi is a key ally.

For the moment, there is little to suggest that Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland are under any pressure but the Daimler threat just cannot be wished away.

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