Press Release – DICV Expands Regional Role and Announces Major Investment
At the IAA Transportation 2026 event, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) announced that it will invest an additional ₹4,000 crore in its Tamil Nadu operations, taking its cumulative investment in India to more than ₹14,500 crore. The new funding is aimed at strengthening manufacturing capacity, research‑and‑development infrastructure, future‑technology platforms and the long‑term competitiveness of the BharatBenz brand.
The announcement also confirms that DICV will act as the anchor entity for the newly created ISEAA (India, South‑East Asia and Australia‑Pacific) customer region within the Mercedes‑Benz Trucks segment. ISEAA consolidates markets previously managed separately, covering 42 countries and a population of approximately 2.8 billion people. The region is projected to see commercial‑vehicle demand grow more than 5 % annually, representing a significant long‑term growth opportunity for Mercedes‑Benz Trucks.
Since its inception, DICV has exported over 75,000 trucks and buses and more than 330 million parts to more than 70 markets worldwide, and it supplies medium‑duty transmissions from its Chennai facility to Daimler Truck plants in Germany. The company currently operates with 92 % localisation, supported by over 400 local suppliers.
Leadership remarks – Torsten Schmidt, CEO & Managing Director of DICV and President of the Mercedes‑Benz Trucks Customer Region ISEAA, stated that the new regional structure places India at the centre of a manufacturing, engineering and export hub, enabling faster decision‑making and stronger collaboration across the ISEAA markets.
Product Transformation and Safety Enhancements
DICV is advancing its product portfolio to meet evolving Indian safety regulations by introducing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibrated for local operating conditions, positioning the trucks and buses ahead of upcoming regulatory requirements. Building on the successful launch of the HX and Torqshift models in the construction and mining segments, the company is expanding the Torqshift Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) technology across its range. Torqshift is described as improving driver comfort, reducing fatigue and lowering the total cost of ownership for fleet operators.
Digital and Service Ecosystem
The BharatBenz TruckConnect digital fleet‑management solution enables customers to monitor vehicle performance and improve operational efficiency through connected data insights. The Rakshana service‑assurance programme now services more than 98 % of vehicles within 48 hours. To further enhance customer support, DICV plans to grow its nationwide service network from 430 touchpoints today to 600 by 2030, with a focus on expanding coverage in northern, eastern and north‑eastern India.
Corporate Footprint
DICV operates a 400‑acre integrated manufacturing and R&D facility at Oragadam near Chennai, employs over 4,000 staff, and maintains more than 430 dealer and service touchpoints across India. Since the commercial launch of BharatBenz in 2012, the brand has delivered more than 230,000 trucks and buses to Indian customers.
Group Context
Daimler Truck AG, the parent company, is a global commercial‑vehicle leader with 35 main locations and around 100,000 employees worldwide. Its four key segments are Trucks North America, Mercedes‑Benz Trucks (including BharatBenz), Daimler Buses and Daimler Truck Financial Services. The Mercedes‑Benz Trucks segment, led by Achim Puchert, oversees the global activities of both the Mercedes‑Benz and BharatBenz brands.
Media contacts: Shina Satyapal (shina.satyapal@daimlertruck.com), Bhargav T S (bhargav.t_s@mslgroup.com), Amudhini M V (amudhini.mv@mslgroup.com), Ravi Shankar (ravishankar.kandarpa@mslgroup.com).