Throwback on Major Events in 2016
Published On Dec 16, 2016
The year 2016 has been phenomenal for the trucking industry. Apart from witnessing several ups and downs because of fluctuating trends throughout the year, 2016 also hosted some exciting events that kept the the trucking industry on its toes. Lets have a look at the major ones.
Auto Expo 2016
The mega Auto Expo 2016 held biennially is the most coveted event of the automobile industry. Aimed at auto enthusiasts across all segments, the star-studded expo features the best of all automobile brands and encompasses anything and everything from latest launches to product announcements, unveilings, sneek peeks, spectacular displays, technological insights and advancements.
Held from February 5th to 9th this year, the 13th edition of the Auto Expo Motor Show witnessed a grand participation from 1500 companies covering different domains spanning 20 countries. The commercial vehicle industry too, had its share of extravaganzas with almost all major brands showcasing their product lineups including Tata, Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Isuzu, Scania.
Of the major launches and unveilings were the Mahindra Blazo range, India’s first smart truck, Tata Ace Mega XL mini truck, the Eicher Pro 6037 with in-built Intelligence technology, the Ashok Leyland 4940 Euro 6 tractor and Guru LCV, Scania G 310 utility truck and Isuzu D-Max V-Cross adventure utility vehicle.
Auto Summit by FADA
The 9th edition of the Auto Summit conducted on February 7 by Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) was attended by top executives of the automobile industry. The summit was based on the theme “Digital Dealer—Accelerate Opportunities” and provided a common interactive platform for industry enthusiasts, automobile dealers, management consultants, think tanks and academicians.
Leading digital players of the commercial vehicle industry such as CarDekho, TrucksDekho, BikeDekho and top auto brands including Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki India, Honda Cars India, Hyundai Motors, Hero MotoCorp, Eicher Trucks and Buses, Renault India participated in the event. The sessions were also attended by officials from consultancies such as Boston Consulting Group and PolicyBazaar.com and other major organizations including Google, Yes Bank, and Tyroo.
T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship
Tata Motors conducted the 3rd Season of the high-adrenaline T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship in the mid of March. The unique aspect about this year’s event was that, for the very first time, the championship included 12 Indian truck drivers apart from the regular international drivers.
The 2016 edition hosted two race categories comprising of four races, the Super Class for trained Indian truck race drivers and the Pro Class for internationally acclaimed drivers with proven experience in the field of truck racing. All the racers drove Tata Prima trucks which were custom modified for the event.
Tata Truck World Trucking Expo
Tata Motors have been hosting several Truck World expos in different locations of India in order to showcase its prowess in the commercial vehicle domain. Held in Jaipur and Chandigarh this year, the expos displayed around 30 to 40 M&HCVs from Tata, and showcased technologies and services offered by the CV giant. Tata also took the opportunity to launch the Signa range of heavy-duty trucks and tippers previously unveiled at Auto Expo 2016.
The events also had stage performances and entertainment activities for customers and their families. Previously, Tata had held Truck World expos in Gurgaon, Vijayawada, Salem, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Gandhidham, Hubli, and Indore.
Eicher Construction Tipper Event
The Construction Tipper Event held by Eicher, a popular commercial vehicle player in the Indian market, showcased an impressive range of the auto maker’s construction tippers. Eicher also launched the BS-IV variant of its 6025T tipper at the occasion. The audience, consisted of top level customers and fleet owners from different industries including road construction, irrigation, crusher, aggregate transportation and concrete movement.
The attendees were addressed by Mr. S S Gill, Senior VP & Head, Heavy Duty Trucks at VE Commercial Vehicles who threw light on the various progressive technologies incorporated in Eicher’s construction tippers for fuel efficiency. He also highlighted the other advancements in Eicher’s construction tippers such as cruise control, engine management system, advanced fuel coaching feature, advanced telematics system, reliable aftermarket services and lifetime support system.
Apart from these key events, trucking enthusiasts were also enthralled in the BAUMA CONEXPO 2016 held recently where MAN showcased its range of heavy vehicles. Mahindra also held regional launches of its Blazo range in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hyderabad.