Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India has bagged a deal comprising supply of 30 units of 2-axle and 10 units of 3-axle coaches to inter city transport company Neeta Tours and Travels. The first lot of the hand-over comprising 11 buses was done at the Mercedes-Benz India plant at Chakan, Pune.
Peter Honegg, managing director and chief executive officer, Mercedes- Benz India Ltd. handed over the keys of the 11 2- axle coaches to Anil Savla and Sunil Savla of Neeta Tours and Travels. The Mercedes-Benz Coach incorporates hallmarks of the Mercedes-Benz brand.
The company has not revealed the deal size, but industry sources said it could be of Rs 32 crore for Mercedes Benz India. The company's Chakan plant, which introduced the second work shift last December due to increase in demand for its vehicles, has a capacity to manufacture 1,200 buses and trucks per annum. The company had received good response for STUs from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
According to sources, the price of a 3-axle coach is Rs 95 lakh, while the 2-axle buses are offered for Rs 76 lakh each.
Commenting on the deal, Sunil Savla, owner, Neeta Tours & Travels said, "Our current fleet of Mercedes-Benz buses cumulatively has excellent on road performance and has had better revenue realisation than other coaches. This has convinced us in our decision to purchase the new set of 40 more Mercedes-Benz buses; with this our fleet of Mercedes Buses will go to up to 60. The customer feedback has been extremely positive for these buses and the reliability and comfort of a Mercedes-Benz bus remains unmatched."
Speaking on the occasion, Peter T Honegg, managing director and chief executive officer, MBIL said, "We are the pioneers and the largest bus manufacturers globally with the widest portfolio of product offerings. With our close focus on the 'Travel with the Star' experience, it has been our constant endeavour to make every journey a unique experience."Mercedes-Benz will provide after sales service for the buses and planning to set up a separate network for it. The Mercedes-Benz buses are built on the Mercedes chassis- 0 500 R series.
