Volvo Trucks India, a division of VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), today launched six heavy-duty trucks under the FM and FMX range in India. Their USPs are high productivity and efficiency, top-notch safety, driver comfort and enhanced connectivity features. The trucks are manufactured at Volvo Trucks’ Hoskote factory

“We are proud to launch these new-generation trucks designed to deliver higher operational efficiency to our customers. We continue to bring world-class innovation to India and these trucks will further reinforce our role as our customers’ most preferred business partner.” said Vinod Aggarwal, MD and CEO, VECV.

“Our trucks serve in some of the most demanding and time-critical applications and this new range of trucks is built to push the limits of productivity with a strong focus on improving the driver environment and safety.  Backed by world class service, we now have wider range of transport solutions to cater to the unique requirements of various applications in India”, said B Dinakar, Senior Vice-President of Volvo Trucks India.

Now available for sale across India, these new trucks continue the strong Volvo Trucks tradition of Driving Success and are manufactured at Volvo Trucks, Hoskote factory.

The new range comprises the FMX 460 8x4 20.3 cu.m for the mining segment, FMX 460 8x4 33cu.m for coal transportation, FMX 500 8x4 off-road dump truck for mining application, FM 420 8x4 23cu.m solution for road construction and mega infrastructure projects, FM 500 6x4 puller for over-dimensional / overweight cargo movement, and FM 420 4x2 tractor solution for high-speed long haul application (e-commerce, Just-In-Time Supply Chains).

New cab gets more space, improved visibility
With cab volume increased by up to 1,000 litres, the new range offers better comfort and more working room. Cabin comfort is further enhanced through better thermal and noise insulation. With a larger windscreen, lowered door lines and new mirrors, the driver’s direct visibility has improved by 10%. Visibility is the key to safety. The high capacity FMX500 also gets an additional passenger corner camera and provision for four more cameras to be installed for enhanced visibility.

The driver's console now has a completely new interface for information and communication, aimed at making it easier to overview and manage different functions, creating less stress and distraction. A fully digital 12-inch driver interface shows all the performance and maintenance parameters of the truck like Pre-Trip check and Intuitive traction display. Select variants offer a supplementary 9-inch touch screen display for infotainment, phone connectivity, driver guide, real time driver behaviour mapping, transport information and camera monitoring. The vehicles can also have Android Auto and other third-party apps installed based on customer’s application.

Enhanced safety
Safety has been, like on all Volvo trucks, high priority. A rear view camera on all mining trucks also ensures safety while loading / unloading. All the trucks are equipped with electronic braking system (EBS) as a standard feature. Downhill cruise control feature sets a maximum speed to help prevent unwanted acceleration when travelling downhill with load, thus also increasing brake life. The I-shift lever and software is new and includes additional drive modes. The engine management system has been improved from Version 2.2 to 2.4 with several design upgrades too. The I-Roll function automatically disengages the engine when not required. All these functions along with improved aerodynamics and real time driver coaching helps improve fuel efficiency.