Mumbai, April 30 The latest entrant in the Indian truck market, Asia Motor Works (AMW) is launching trucks equipped with geographic positioning system (GPS).

“We will offer GPS as a standard fitment. We will first launch hundred such trucks and test the market. The GPS-fitted trucks will come out in three months,” Mr Anirudh Bhuwalka, MD of the company told Business Line.

GPS, the device which helps track vehicles and monitor the routes taken and stops made, is being used for fleet management. “There is a growing demand for GPS among major logistic operators. OEMs, especially car manufacturers, insist that the trucks carrying their products should be GPS-fitted. Going forward, GPS will become more prevalent,” said Mr Bhuwalka.
New Facility

He also said that AMW would set up a 50,000 capacity manufacturing facility near its existing manufacturing plant in Bhuj, Gujarat. Its existing facility has the capacity to manufacture 10,000 trucks a year. He said that the new plant would become operational in three months.

The company which sold around 3,000 trucks last year had introduced several sophistication in trucks, including standard air-conditioned driver cabins.

About the target market for the high tonnage trucks manufactured by AMW, Mr Bhuwalka said, “We target mining and construction industries and bulk cargo segment. We are not into retail selling yet”.

AMW recently increased the vehicle price by three per cent owing to input cost. The company sells trucks within the price range of Rs 15 lakh to Rs 35 lakh.

“We expect good sales in the current year. Our order book has already touched 3,000,” said Mr Bhuwalka.

He said that the company will foray into light commercial vehicle segment soon, although he did not divulge the details. “These are under discussion. In next one year we will come out with our first LCV,” Mr Bhuwalka said.