Tatra India inks pact with Kamaz

Tatra to assemble, sell Kamaz trucks and buses in India.

Tatra Trucks India Ltd has signed a technical collaboration with Kamaz Inc of Republic of Tatarstan (part of the Russian Federation) for assembling and selling Kamaz's high horsepower (HP) trucks and buses here. Tatra Trucks India is a joint venture between Czech truck maker Tatra and the Vectra group.

With the launch of the Kamaz trucks and buses, Tatra India will enter the on-road and highway segment. The company has so far been selling only dumpsters and off-road vehicles.

The range of products to be assembled and sold in India will be decided in two-three months, according to Rakesh Jinsi, managing director, Tatra Trucks India. The first launch, according to Jinsi, will be the 200 HP multi-axle truck with a gross vehicle weight of 25 tonne.

"The trucks will initially be assembled here with a large import content," he said. Tatra India executives said six models of the on-road vehicles from Kamaz would be put on display at the Auto Expo 2006 in New Delhi. While the domestic market for trucks and buses has so far been dominated by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland, global major s like Mann (with Pune-based Force Motors) and DaimlerChrysler are also set to enter the higher end market in 2006.

"The technology (in Kamaz trucks) will be contemporary and will be high HP vehicles. However, these will be value for money products," Jinsi said. Chennai-based Ashok Leyland too was believed to be in talks with Kamaz earlier this year for a tie-up.

The talks, according to market sources, did not fructify. At present, Tatra Trucks India with its Hemang and T-815 dump trucks has a dominant presence in the off-road segment catering to the mining and construction sectors. For this segment, the company has an order book position of 200 units this financial year.