Blazo X from Mahindra
Mahindra Truck and Bus has upgraded the Blazo to carve out a bigger pie of the medium and heavyduty market.
Mahindra Truck and Bus has upgraded the Blazo to carve out a bigger pie of the medium and heavy-duty market.
In response to the requirements of customers, Mahindra Truck and Bus has upgraded the Blazo range of medium and heavy-duty trucks. The new range is called as Blazo X, and claimed to deliver five per cent higher efficiency. Coming in a backdrop of rising fuel prices, new axle norms and the lack of proportionate rise in freight rates, the new truck range is better poised to address the requiremets of the fleet operators. Subject to much calibration and light weighting as the market moved to BSIV emission norms April last year, the Blazo has been the main stay of the CV maker even as it pushes its new offering, the Furio, in the intermediate segment. Replacing the BSIV Blazo range that was well received in the market due to its ability to perform better and offer better fuel efficiency through three driving modes, the Blazo X marks yet another change. To replace the existing Blazo range across haulage, tipper and tractor-trailer segments according to Rajan Wadhera, President – Automotive Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., the new truck range, apart from assuring superior fuel mileage, flaunts some cosmetic changes as well. Though subtle in nature, they include redesigned head lamps as part of an improved cabin. They are of the twin-beam variety and decidedly modern in their appearance.
The cabin, claimed to be more spacious than the competition, has seen some mild changes to add to the driver comfort and convenience. The first is the tilt and telescopic steering, which enables the driver to arrive at a commanding as well as comfortable driving position. The driver’s seat is three-way adjustable. The most interesting bit is perhaps the car-like driver information system, which provides critical vehicle information to the driver in real time. A part of the LCD readout are the pneumatic air pressure indicator dials. Backed by an industry first mileage guarantee
of getting more mileage or return the truck, Mahindra Truck and Bus has priced the Blazo X at Rs.25,000 more than the BSIV Blazo. Promising improvements under the flesh like the air management system, rolling characteristics, and rotating parts among others, the Blazo X, said Wadhera, will reaffirm customers’ faith in Mahindra’s ability to create class leading products and set higher standards for the Indian CV industry. Powered by a BSIV 274 hp 7.2-litre six-cylinder diesel engine with a smart electronic fuel management system, the Blaxo X is aiming at fleets that are looking at a significant rise in operational efficiency and profitability.
Confident that a 31-tonne Blazo X will consume 510-litres of fuel against a consumption of 580-litres by a competitor’s truck of equivalent tonnage, Vinod Sahay, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra Truck and Bus, expressed that the Blazo X will benefit not only from the five per cent higher fuel efficiency, but also from the legacy of its predecessor, which has well entrenched itself in important market areas like car carriers, tankers, cement bulkers and coal tippers. Engineered to account for the rise in average speeds, the Blazo X, according to Sahay, will further strengthen Mahindra Truck and Bus’ position in the market. Backed by the proposition of best value for money, mileage superiority and low cost of ownership, the new truck, explained Sahay, profits from higher power to weight ratio, better aggregates and a modern as well as comfortable cabin. Better positioned to carry extra loads mandated by the CV axle norms, the truck is equipped with a six- and nine-speed gearbox. Sans any change in engine characteristics in terms of peak power and peak torque, the Blazo X most benefits from modern mechanicals that include a common-rail diesel engine, an SCR exhaust aftertreatment system, three different driving modes and a robust build.
The three drive modes, called FuelSmart technology, offer the truck operator an opportunity to extract better fuel efficiency by using the turbo mode when carrying full load; use the heavy mode when carrying full load, but over gradients that are not as steep or as demanding. In heavy mode, the engine cuts power to 220 hp. In the light mode, which is used when running empty, the power drops down to 205 hp. With a firm focus on offering superior fuel efficiency, Mahindra Truck and Bus, to carve out a greater pie of the medium and heavy-duty CV segments is practicising ‘guarantees’ not just for fuel efficiency as an assurance, but also for service support. From guaranteed timely reach and timely repairs to parts availability, the company is working towards a strategy that will also cover lowest cost of operation, longer
oil drain interval, lowest oil prices, and a six-lakh kilometre or six-year transferrable warranty. Banking on robust components and aggregates like a waste-gate turbocharger, an efficient intercooler, low friction axle seals and grease, low friction oil, and an electronic viscous fan, Mahindra Truck and Bus is keen to stay ahead of the curve in a market that is getting competitive as well as complex.
Strengthing aftersales
Strengthening the aftersales as part of a strategy to stay relevant in a market that is getting competitive and complex, Mahindra Truck and Bus is setting up an express North-South service corridor on the 3,800 km long Kashmir to Kanyakumari stretch. The service corridor will comprise of 41 service touchpoints (one every 100 kms), and guarantee service reach in four hours. A compensation of Rs.500 will be paid for every hour of delay. The North-South Service corridor follows the MumbaiDelhi service corridor the OEM announced in March 2018. The latter is claimed to cater to 30 per cent of the overall truck movement. In case of Blazo, Mahindra Truck and Bus is guaranteeing maximum uptime by putting the truck back on road in 48 hours. Failing to do so, the company would pay the customer Rs.1,000 per day for the delay. It would pay the trucker Rs.3000 a day as per a guarantee to turnaround the vehicle in 36 hours at the dealer workshop. Also offered is a cost-effective AMC, lowest cost of ownership, and a powerful insurance package. Planning to put in place a Chennai-Kolkata and Chennai-Mumbai service corridor, Mahindra Truck and Bus claims that 21,000 Blazos are plying on Indian roads since February 2016. Also claiming that close to 44 per cent of sales are repeat purchases, and a cumulative total of 125 crore kms have been covered (by the Blazo), the company has attributed the success of the truck to its ability to offer superior fuel efficiency and low ownership cost.