Automating Truck Shifts

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), through its BharatBenz brand, has taken a bold step with the Torqshift AMT transmission and the HX series

- By Ashish Bhatia

In June 2025, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) achieved a significant milestone with the domestic delivery of 200,000 BharatBenz trucks. This accomplishment coincides with the 15th anniversary of the BharatBenz brand in India. The announcement came at a time of global economic uncertainty, with trade challenges and fluctuating freight demand impacting the industry. Despite the global downward risk in the Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCV) segment, DICV aims not just to adapt but to lead the market with the introduction of its new TorqShift Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) and an all-new HX rigid duty range. Reflecting on the 15-year journey of BharatBenz, Satyakam Arya, MD & CEO, DICV, emphasised the transition from a challenger brand to a trustworthy industry mainstay. “The journey hasn’t been easy. It has been built on the trust of our stakeholders. BharatBenz is now delivering performance that’s 15-20 per cent better than what’s currently on the market,” he mentioned.

The global Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) industry is projected to clock 3.5 million units in 2025, a marginal four per cent YoY growth. In contrast, Europe’s greater than 3.5-tonne segment declined by 16 per cent, while Class 8 orders in the U.S. were down eight per cent between January and May 2025 due to fleet capital expenditure delays and a sluggish spot freight market. Against this backdrop, BharatBenz has held steady. Daimler Trucks Asia posted a 16 per cent growth in Q1-25, driven by the strong performance of BharatBenz and FUSO brands.