"This is an emotional day for us... We are back," said Marc Llistosella, chief executive of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.
Daimler (IW 1000/18) on Wednesday launched its first trucks produced from a new factory in India, in a move to grab a share of the growing commercial vehicles market and challenge domestic competition.
The Stuttgart-based company -- whose rivals include Navistar International (IW 1000/86) and Volvo (IW 1000/100) -- will be going head-to-head to reduce the dominance of Indian giants Tata Motors (IW 1000/186) and Ashok Leyland.
Daimler expects to shake up the market by offering fuel-efficient trucks that give higher mileage than rival producers and at competitive prices.
"This is an emotional day for us... We are back," said Marc Llistosella, chief executive of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.
Daimler, one of the world's largest manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, has returned to India after its initial foray nearly 60 years ago.
"Now we have come on our own. We had to do something new and different for the Indian customer," Llistosella told reporters and dealers in Mumbai.
