• At IAA Transportation 2026, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles highlights India's expanded role within Daimler Truck and outlines the next phase of BharatBenz growth through product transformation, customer ecosystem expansion and continued investment.
  • Announcement reaffirms DICV's additional ₹4,000 crore investment, taking cumulative investment in India to more than ₹14,500 crore, while advancing next-generation active safety technologies and expanding AMT-equipped BharatBenz models across its portfolio.

CHENNAI, India, Sept. 15, 2026 -- Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the maker of BharatBenz trucks and buses, today highlighted India's growing strategic importance within Daimler Truck following the establishment of the Mercedes-Benz Trucks segment's ISEAA (India, South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific) customer region. DICV also outlined the next phase of BharatBenz's growth through product innovation, customer ecosystem expansion and continued investment in India.

Torsten Schmidt, CEO & Managing Director, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles and President Mercedes-Benz Trucks Customer Region ISEAA

Mercedes-Benz Trucks, one of Daimler Truck's global key segments*, is home to two brands: Mercedes-Benz Trucks and BharatBenz. While BharatBenz serves customers in India through Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the Mercedes-Benz Trucks brand serves customers across South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific, as well as other global markets.

As part of its new global operating model, Mercedes-Benz Trucks segment is organized into four customer regions: Europe, LAMEA (Latin America, Middle East and Africa), China, and ISEAA (India, South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific). The ISEAA region brings together markets that were previously managed separately under a single customer-focused structure, serving customers through BharatBenz in India and Mercedes-Benz Trucks across South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific.

India's Expanded Regional Role

DICV serves as the anchor entity for the ISEAA customer region. The structure places India at the center of a regional framework spanning India, South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific, reflecting DICV's growing role as a manufacturing, engineering and export hub within Daimler Truck. Since commencing operations, DICV has exported more than 75,000 trucks and buses and over 330 million parts to over 70 markets worldwide and supplies medium-duty transmissions from its Chennai facility to Daimler Truck plants in Germany.

The ISEAA customer region spans 42 countries and nearly 2.8 billion people, bringing together some of the most dynamic transportation and infrastructure markets globally. With commercial vehicle demand across the region expected to grow by more than 5% annually, ISEAA represents a significant long-term growth opportunity for Mercedes-Benz Trucks. The regional structure enables closer customer engagement, faster decision-making and stronger collaboration across markets.

Torsten Schmidt, CEO & Managing Director, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles and President Mercedes-Benz Trucks Customer Region ISEAA, said:

"India has long been an important market for Daimler Truck and the home of BharatBenz. Through the new ISEAA customer region, we are bringing India, South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific closer together to strengthen collaboration, share capabilities and respond faster to customer needs across these markets. DICV serves as the anchor entity for the region, building on its established strengths in manufacturing, engineering and exports. For our customers in India, BharatBenz remains focused on delivering products and services designed specifically for local operating conditions, while benefiting from the scale, expertise and collaboration of the broader Mercedes-Benz Trucks segment."

BharatBenz Enabling India's Growth Through Products and Customer Support

Alongside its expanded regional role, DICV is accelerating the next phase of BharatBenz's product transformation journey, focused on delivering safer, more productive and more efficient transport solutions for customers. As India's safety regulations evolve, BharatBenz is preparing its truck and bus portfolio with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibrated for Indian operating conditions, ensuring readiness ahead of upcoming regulatory requirements while enhancing on-road safety.

Building on the successful introduction of HX and Torqshift in the construction and mining segment, BharatBenz continues to bring globally proven Daimler Truck technologies to Indian customers across its portfolio. Proven in hundreds of thousands of Daimler Truck heavy-duty vehicles worldwide and adapted for Indian duty cycles, Torqshift Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technology enhances driver comfort, reduces fatigue and supports safer, more efficient fleet operations while contributing to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). As fleet operators increasingly prioritize productivity, driver wellbeing and operational efficiency, DICV sees significant potential for the broader adoption of automated transmission technologies in the Indian commercial vehicle market.

Strengthening the Customer Ecosystem

DICV continues to invest in a customer ecosystem designed to maximize uptime, productivity and lifecycle value. BharatBenz's digital fleet management solution, TruckConnect, enables customers to monitor vehicle performance, enhance operational efficiency and improve fleet management through connected technologies and data-driven insights.

The BharatBenz Rakshana service assurance program now services and delivers more than 98% of vehicles within 48 hours. To further strengthen customer support across the country, DICV plans to expand its nationwide service network from 430 touchpoints today to 600 touchpoints by 2030, with a particular focus on strengthening coverage across northern, eastern and north-eastern India. The expanded network, combined with enhanced digital solutions, improved parts availability and uptime-focused services, will help bring support closer to customers, reduce response times and further enhance the overall BharatBenz customer service experience.

Investing in India's Next Phase of Growth

India's expanded role within Daimler Truck's global operations is supported by continued investment in local manufacturing, engineering and technology capabilities. These initiatives build on DICV's recently announced additional investment of approximately ₹4,000 crore in Tamil Nadu as part of a non-binding facilitation MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu. The commitment takes DICV's cumulative investment in India to more than ₹14,500 crore and is aimed at strengthening manufacturing capacity, R&D infrastructure, future technologies and long-term competitiveness for BharatBenz.

Today, DICV operates with 92% localization and is supported by more than 400 local suppliers, reinforcing its contribution to India's manufacturing ecosystem while strengthening the company's ability to develop products and technologies tailored for Indian and global markets.

For further information: 

https://dicv.daimlertruck.com/ and https://www.bharatbenz.com/

Daimler Truck at a Glance

Daimler Truck is one of the world's leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, operating 35 main locations and employing around 100,000 people worldwide. With 130 years of heritage — dating back to the invention of the first trucks and buses — Daimler Truck is committed to a clear purpose: For all who keep the world moving. Together with its global partners, the company is shaping the future of transportation with the ambition to be the industry's leading truck and bus manufacturer. Daimler Truck focuses on delivering sustainable, regulation compliant transport solutions that enable our customers to succeed in their respective markets. The company operates through four key segments*: Trucks North America (Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses), Mercedes-Benz Trucks (including BharatBenz), Daimler Buses (Mercedes Benz and Setra) and Daimler Truck Financial Services. Daimler Truck's portfolio includes light-, medium-, and heavy- duty trucks for long haul, distribution, construction, vocational and defense applications. In the bus segment, the company offers city buses, school buses, coaches and bus chassis. In addition to vehicle sales, Daimler Truck also offers financing products, after-sales services, digital and connectivity solutions.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks at a Glance 

Mercedes-Benz Trucks, a business unit of Daimler Truck AG, is responsible for the global activities of the Mercedes-Benz and BharatBenz brands under the leadership of Achim Puchert. The Mercedes-Benz Trucks product range extends from heavy-duty long-haul trucks and 8-ton trucks for urban distribution to trucks for special applications. Mercedes-Benz Trucks has its own international sales and service network, which is constantly being developed. The BharatBenz brand's product range includes heavy and medium-duty trucks as well as buses and is specifically aimed at customers in the Indian market. BharatBenz also has a close-knit service network. The Mercedes-Benz Trucks segment operates production facilities around the globe, some of which are accompanied by test and development sites. In addition, there are further production facilities operated with partners in various countries. The Global Parts Center in Halberstadt, Saxony-Anhalt, which was inaugurated in July 2025, will control the entire spare parts supply for Mercedes-Benz trucks in the future. 

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles at a Glance

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. (DICV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, is the maker of BharatBenz trucks and buses in India. Established in 2009, DICV serves the Indian commercial vehicle market while also contributing as a manufacturing, engineering and export hub for Daimler Truck's global operations. BharatBenz was commercially launched in 2012, offering trucks across the 10-55 tonne range and buses for school, staff and intercity applications. Since launch, more than 230,000 BharatBenz trucks and buses have been delivered to customers across India. DICV operates a 400-acre integrated manufacturing and R&D facility at Oragadam near Chennai and is supported by more than 4,000 employees, over 400 suppliers and more than 430 dealer and service touchpoints nationwide. DICV also contributes to Daimler Truck's global footprint through exports of vehicles and parts to more than 70 markets worldwide, including exports of more than 75,000 trucks and buses and over 330 million parts.

As the anchor entity for the ISEAA (India, South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific) customer region within the Mercedes-Benz Trucks Segment, DICV supports closer regional collaboration while continuing to advance BharatBenz's focus on safety, productivity, customer uptime and future-ready mobility solutions for India's commercial transportation ecosystem.

Media Contact:

Shina Satyapal: shina.satyapal@daimlertruck.com

Bhargav T S: bhargav.t_s@daimlertruck.com

Amudhini M V: amudhini.mv@mslgroup.com

Ravi Shankar: ravishankar.kandarpa@mslgroup.com   

 

 

 

Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/dicv-expands-regional-role-as-india-anchors-new-iseaa-customer-region-302878957.html