Daimler Puch Draws Up Big India Plans

Austrian auto giant Steyer Daimler Puch has drawn up ambitious plans for India ranging from consultancy services to auto ancillaries leading ultimately to manufacturing its world famous stable of jeeps and cars.

"We would like to start with our automobile consultancy services and supply vehicle designs or look after the engineering aspects of the new vehicles coming into the Indian market," said Gerrit Van Den Oever, managing director of the company.

The $2 billion firm wants to make India its major hub of operations in Asia, the director said, emphasising India's economic stability over south-east Asia as a major factor for choosing its market.

 

Steyer currently has a major presence in western Europe, Australia and the US markets.

Oever, hand-picked to head the India operations, said the company had set up shop in Pune and would like to open negotiations with Tata and even PAL group for both vehicle designs including engineering aspects and sourcing components. Steyer manufactures the Puch G and Grand Cherokee jeeps, claimed to be the most powerful vehicles in that class. It also makes the E class Mercedes Benz (4 x 4) for Daimler Benz and the sleek station wagons Voyager for Chrysler Corp of the US.

Steyer wants to establish its presence in India as a leading auto consulting firm besides emerging as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for a number of companies, Martin Platzer, general manager, corporate marketing said. Steyer also sees a market for its armoured carrier, the Pinzgauer, which it sells to the British, Austrian and Swiss armies now. The new markets for this multipurpose military vehicle are Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

Asked if Steyer would make a sales pitch for the Pinzgauer for the Indian army, Van Den Oever told that this might be a long drawn process. Instead, he said he would like to promote the Pinzgauer as an armoured carrier for the riot police, for the fire brigade and even as an ambulance for hospitals. Venezuela is among the first of the south American countries to show interest in the Pinzgauer.

The vehicle can be deployed in the toughest of terrain in the world, be it snow in hard winter or the shifting desert sands, he said.

"The Pinzgauer's versatility and high degree of manoeuvrability in the toughest of road conditions has been proved beyond doubt," Wolfgang Korner, head of vehicle safety engineering and research and development department said. (PTI)