By IANS
Chennai : French automaker Lohr Industrie will manufacture car carriers – a truck that carries passenger cars – at Pune in Maharashtra.
The 350 million euro ($517 million) Lohr has entered into a 51:49 joint venture with Stokota India.
The duo is in the process of incorporating the joint venture company, Lohr India Auto Transport, for the purpose.
“Till date, we have invested around $2 million for the project and production is expected to start in April,” said Philippe Fortmann, CEO of the company.
According to him, the total investment would be around $5 million in two years.
The initial plan is to roll out 100 trailers a month by employing around 150 workers by 2009.
Lohr was lured to India as most of the global passenger car manufacturers have set up a production or assembly base in India.
“Overseas, most of the cars are transported in our car trailers,” Fortmann said.
According to him, Lohr India will make two trailer systems – hydraulically and manually operated – at its Pune facility.
Speaking about the potential for the product, Fortmann said the trailers that are currently used to transport cars in India defy legal stipulations.
“As per Indian regulations, the length of a trailer should not be more than 18 metres and the maximum height should be 4.75 metres. Most of the trailers do not conform to these norms in India,” he said.
That apart, transit damages to new cars owing to ill-designed trailers and the resultant repair costs are high.
Though Lohr India’s car carrying systems would be priced over Rs.2 million – far higher than the existing trailers – Fortmann said his product would offer better returns to logistics operators in the long term.
“The operators can carry more units and can reduce the transit damages to the cars and the resultant damages paid to the car manufacturers. The trailers weigh less and would offer better fuel economy,” he added.
He is in the process of contacting car companies in India and apprising them of his trailers.
Once convinced about the advantages of Lohr India’s trailers, Fortmann expects the car companies to insist its truckers to use his product.
Lohr India is targeting luxury car companies in India for initial business. Apart from reduced transit damages, he says Lohr can customise its trailers so as to offer brand image enhancements for the car companies.