since 1976
since 1976
DRB-HICOM Commercial Vehicles Sdn. Bhd. (DHCV), the authorised importer and distributor of Tata Motors Limited commercial vehicles in Malaysia, is gearing up for further growth for 2018 and beyond. Its growth plans include the introduction of three new vehicles for 2018 and a local-assembly programme in the mid-term.
Since its brand launch in 2015, DHCV has sold 654 units of Tata commercial vehicles. The total sales volume consisted of pickup trucks, light trucks and prime movers.
This puts Tata in 10th place amongst a total of 28 competing brands in the commercial vehicle (CV) category. The CV category includes pickup trucks, trucks, prime movers, panel vans and buses.
“The last three years have been a learning curve for us. Come 2018, we are confident we have the right products in terms of technology, affordability and durability to be truly competitive in the commercial vehicle category. We will be offering three all-new products - two in the light commercial vehicle segment and one in the small pickup segment,” said Dato’ Abdul Harith Abdullah, Chief Operating Officer, Automotive, Distribution, Manufacturing and Engineering, DRB-HICOM Berhad.
“This is our debut in the small pickup category with an all-new product. Based on our research, we are confident we have the right product for this segment and are able to serve most requirements of customers within the segment,” said Chin Tan Hee, Chief Operating Officer for DHCV.
Chin added, “Small pickup constitutes two percent of the total pickup segment. Our objectives are to offer customers an alternative and a highly competitive product. The Tata Motors small pickup is a highly successful product, many of which are reliably plying the roads in other regional markets. We are confident it will help us gain a fair share of this promising and growing segment.”
Tata Motors (who also owns Jaguar and Land Rover) is currently the world’s tenth largest motor vehicle manufacturer in the world, and the world’s fourth largest truck and second largest bus manufacturer in the world. Its manufacturing footprint, including design and research-and-development facilities, span the world with six manufacturing and assembly facilities in India, in addition to overseas facilities located in Argentina, Indonesia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Its product portfolio ranges from sub- tonne and 49-tonne mass movers to five-seater minivans and 81-seater buses. Tata is also a renowned manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
In 2017, the total volume for CV in Malaysia was 61,956 units. Pickups commanded 67 percent of this volume (41,316 units), while trucks took 22 percent (13,860 units). Prime movers, vans, light buses and buses make up the balance volume. The Malaysian Automotive Association recently forecasted a 2.3 percent growth in total industry volume (590,000 units) for 2018. Of that total, 63,500 units will consist of commercial vehicles, representing a 2.5 percent growth in the CV category.
With the introduction of its all-new Tata small pickup, DHCV anticipates to command about 10-15 percent of the small pickup segment by 2022. For 2018, DHCV plans to achieve a volume of 150 units of light-duty trucks to capture 2 percent of a segment that is expected to have an annual volume of 7,500 units.
Plans for local assembly are in place and will be implemented at the appropriate time in the near future. According to Chin, local-assembly is more ideal, in line with the government`s aspirations to promote the suppliers` ecosystem while creating new ones, offer employment and develop new skillsets. It will also introduce DHCV and Tata to more business opportunities including potentials in the public sector.
With higher volume achieving economies-of-scale, it is also a cost-effective option for various stakeholders and customers as parts and service will be readily available, lowering overall ownership and running costs. Local assembly will be carried out in DRB- HICOM’s assembly plant in Pekan by HICOM Automotive Manufacturers (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
Tata Motor’s customers in Malaysia are currently served by a network of 24 outlets located at strategic locations and in major townships nationwide. DHCV aims to expand this network across Peninsular and East Malaysia, in tandem with sales growth and market penetration in the near future.
