​Top 5 Truck Launches of 2016

India is home to more than 125 crore humans, connected to each other in infinite ways. These infinite connections, for smooth functioning of the country, require to be in touch with each other via different mediums.

Amongst the carriers of these links and connections, trucks fall in the category outlining the most important ones. These small, medium and heavy commercial vehicles transport more than goods, deliver much more than promises. They are the very reason behind the availability of mineral water bottles in dry areas, medical supplies in famine zones and shoulder far more responsibility than one can possibly imagine.

Transporters in India currently depend upon more than 350 truck models available in the country. Truck makers on the other hand, carry constant research and development and try their best to introduce new improved trucks in the market. More than five new trucks are launched every year in the country, but not all of these make it to the list of hot selling ones.

Likewise, year 2016, the year of Auto Expo India, became spectator to more than 15 truck launches. While some of these created more buzz than the organisers had originally anticipated, others simply failed to impress. Here are the top five launches that took the Indian trucking community by storm.

1. Mahindra Blazo

Launched at Auto Expo 2016, Mahindra claimed Blazo to be India’s first smart truck. Experts dubbed this launch as the door opener for advancement of technology used in the Indian transport sector. The launch of Mahindra Blazo during Auto Expo 2016 was covered by most of the media houses and the multiple region wise launches definitely helped Mahindra address bigger audience than it would have originally. If you have a game changing product, you gotta tell the world first!

2. Maruti Suzuki Super Carry

You can’t simply turn your eyes off a commercial vehicle when it’s launched by the leading passenger car maker in India. The launch of Maruti Suzuki Super Carry is the second most hot commercial vehicle launch on our list in the country. Maruti Suzuki promised and delivered a grand launch event for the Super Carry. The mini truck rightly deserved all the limelight as it was launched against the likes of Tata Ace and Mahindra Jeeto. Tough competition calls for grand launches we guess!

3. Tata Signa Range

When it comes to a list pertaining to do something with commercial vehicles, there is no way Tata Motors would not make it to the top. First showcased at the Auto Expo 2016, Tata Motors smartly used its Truck World Expos to launch the Signa Range all over the country. One event after another ensured Tata Motors the kind of attention the brand was looking forward for its new range of trucks. The trucks are yet not available at many dealerships, but consumers’ response and query numbers circling the range have simply left Tata Motors amazed.

4. Mahindra Imperio

It was the first CV launch for year 2016 and boy, did it not amaze the pickup truck consumers in India! Mahindra launched Imperio with intentions of it taking over the age old Genio pickup truck. The vehicle, apart from its grand launch, also made news because of the price segment it is offered in. Despite modern looks and cool features, Mahindra managed to keep the prices as low as INR 6.25 lakhs for the BS-III base model.

5. BharatBenz MD IN-Power Trucks Range

BharatBenz is known to be very agile in terms of media coverage, and it proved the same the moment it launched the MD IN-Power trucks range just before the Auto Expo 2016. The market was preparing itself for the new launches scheduled to take place during the coveted event and BharatBenz, out of nowhere, stole all the lime light with its new range of trucks. This launch made it to our list of top five because it was indeed a well planned move especially bearing the Auto Expo angle in mind.

Conclusion

There were a number of other truck launches but most of them failed to impress the audience in general. Though the launches were exciting but they failed to generate as much buzz as the top five due to unknown reasons.

It is a plain fact that consumers take products seriously only when you showcase them with confidence. Launch events which are not able to create much consumer interest, somehow portray the kind of confidence the product owners have in their line of products. And despite the amount of efforts OEMs put in other launches like Mahindra Loadking Optimo, Eicher Polaris Multix, Ashok Leyland 40 iT Captain, Mahindra Jeeto CNG, Tata Ultra Trucks, or the Scania G310 truck, they simply, were not successful in striking the right chords.