Volvo inaugurates new bus plant in India

Volvo inaugurates new bus plant in India

Today, Volvo Buses is inaugurating a new body plant in Bangalore, India. This
means that the company gains a base for production of complete buses for India
and other strongly growing markets in Asia.


Since the first introduction in India in 2001, Volvo Buses has manufactured
chassis together with Volvo Trucks in an own plant in Bangalore. The bodies were
produced by an external body builder, Jaico Automobiles.
Now, when Volvo Buses takes the step to start its own body plant adjacent to the
chassis plant, it is to increase flexibility with regard to production capacity
and to further improve quality.
The body plant is being operated in a new joint-venture company with the
cooperation partner Jaico Automobiles. The company is named Volvo Bus Body
Technologies India and Volvo Buses holds a 70% ownership interest.

The new plant has a capacity of 1,000 buses annually and the company expects to
have about 600 employees at the end of this year.
The plant will primarily build Volvo Buses for the Indian market, but the
company expects to be able to export complete buses to other markets in
Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

“The traffic situation in the steadily growing cities in the area is an
increasingly greater problem,” says Håkan Karlsson, President of Volvo Buses.
“This increases the demand for modern buses and efficient bus-based mass transit
systems.”

Volvo Buses is the market leader in India with regard to luxury, air-conditioned
coaches. In conjunction with the inauguration of the plant, the company is
launching an updated version of the Volvo 9400 coach. The Volvo B7RLE city bus
is also sold in India. 

January 31, 2008

For further information, please contact Per-Martin Johansson, press officer, 
+46 31 322 52 00, per-martin.johansson@volvo.com

Download high resolution pictures
http://www.volvo.com/bus/global/en-gb/newsmedia/image+gallery/


Volvo Bus Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturer of large buses
and coaches. The range comprises complete vehicles, chassis, bus bodies,
transport system solutions for metropolitan traffic, leasing, financing and
service contract maintenance. Volvo Bus Corporation is part of the Volvo Group,
one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction
equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace
components and services. The Group also provides complete solutions for
financing and service.