With positive gains in the heavy duty truck segment, VE Commercial Vehicles, an equal joint venture between Eicher Motors and Volvo Group, intends to focus strongly on its heavy duty truck business to achieve its ambitious target of 1,000 truck sales a month by the end of this year.

“In the first five months of the present calendar year, we have averaged sales of 684 heavy duty trucks and buses per month. Our aspiration is to reach 1,000 trucks per month by year end,” Vinod Aggarwal, chief executive, VE Commercial Vehicles told Financial Chronicle.

“We see a lot of potential in the heavy duty truck segment and our focus is to make use of the opportunities existing in this segment. The fastest growing category for our heavy trucks is the 16-tonne tippers wherein we have already achieved a market share of 9.5 per cent in the first five months. Apart from this we have achieved a market share of 5.8 per cent in the 16-tonne haulage segment in the first five months,” he added.

The company intends to increase focus on boosting sales for its other heavy product categories too in the coming months. The medium and heavy truck sector in the country has been dominated by top two incumbents — Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. VE Commercial Vehicles occupies the third position.

The company in January 2010 rolled-out VE Series, a full upgradation of its entire heavy duty range of vehicles, and it has been gradually expanding the market coverage and sales for heavy trucks since the launch of new heavy trucks.

“Eicher trucks and buses have also made strong inroads into heavy duty trucks segment of 16-40 T with “VE” series of fuel efficient heavy duty trucks. We have received very good response for the VE heavy trucks from the market. We have sold 5,017 units of such trucks and buses in 2010. In the first five months of the current year 2011, we have sold 3,420 units of heavy trucks and buses,” said Aggarwal.

The company presently covers only about 50 per cent the CV market for heavy duty vehicles and intends to increase the coverage significantly in the immediate term.