Greaves Cotton and Piaggio Vehicles, which manufactures two-, three and four-wheelers, have joined hands to develop a new generation of powertrain solutions meeting BS VI norms using diesel and alternate fuels in the clean energy space. Notably, Piaggio started using Greaves Cotton engines in 1998-1999.

Since then, Greaves has sold over 5 million automotive engines manufactured at its plants in Aurangabad and Ranipet (Chennai) with their R&D centres based out of Aurangabad and Pune. The two companies have, over the years, been successfully catered to the last-mile transportation segment, popularly known as the three-wheeler and the micro-truck segment below 1,000kg.

The three-wheeler segment has started showing growth in the third quarter of the current financial year. Greaves’ contribution comes through its robust, single-cylinder diesel engine technology and CNG engines in the CNG dominant markets.

Commenting in this context, Debashis Mitra, president - Automotive Engine Business, Greaves Cotton said, “Our current 400cc CNG engines have witnessed a near-100 percent growth in the first six months of FY2018 and the trend looks to continue with the growing CNG demand in the country with addition of fuel stations for point-to-point passenger transport solutions and cargo within and outside the city limits. Our strategic tie-up with California-based Pinnacle Technology for opposed piston engines has shown impressive initial first-cut results for CNG engines in the BS VI regime and hopefully able to revolutionise the market by reducing substantial fuel cost and total cost of ownership.”

Greaves says it sold more than 300,000 automotive engines in 2016-17 before successfully transiting to BS IV- compliant engines from April 1, 2017. The company has a strong service network of more than 3,500 retail outlets supplying spare parts for these engines backed up by 9,000 trained technicians across the country. The company claims it has service available within a 50km radius in most parts of the country.

According to Nagesh Basavanhalli, MD and CEO, Greaves Cotton, “The market needs to be ready for a technological, regulatory and business model disruption by 2020. Greaves is investing in new technologies and building capabilities to meet the demand for fuel-agnostic, future-ready solutions serving the last-mile transportation market. These solutions will cover a range of fuels from diesel, petrol, CNG to electric. Our solutions will continue to leverage the strength of the Greaves brand: reliable and affordable solutions backed by a nationwide service and spares network which will be upgraded to serve the entire range of fuel-agnostic vehicles."

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