The triumphs of India’s commercial vehicle industry were celebrated at the prestigious 15th Apollo CV Awards 2024. Ashish Bhatia writes why the Mahindra Bolero MaXX Pik-Up HD and the Force Urbania, crowned ‘CV Of The Year’, epitomise a commitment to transformation and profitability tailored for India’s unique demands.
The much-awaited milestone 15th Apollo CV Awards 2024 had the bigwigs of the commercial vehicle industry gather in Mumbai on March 28, 2024. The prestigious awards are curated by Commercial Vehicle Magazine of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. (A Shapoorji Pallonji Group Company) with the long-standing partner of 15 years – Apollo Tyres Ltd backing it. Avanteum Advisiors LLP and MarketsandMarkets as the Technical Partners, Mazars in India as the audit partners and Metric Global as the research and data analytic company with Mirror Now as the Telecast partner. The 2024 edition marked the business end of Financial Year 2024 (FY24) with an air of nostalgia that had stalwarts and key stakeholders of the CV industry (including Dealerships, Body Builders, Fleet Operators and Dealerships among others) reminiscing the editions gone by, their memorable wins over the past decade and a half as they walked past the ‘Legacy Wall’.
In a grand reveal, the Mahindra Bolero MaXX Pickup HD and the Force Urbania bagged the coveted ‘CV Of the Year’ title. Girish Wagh, Executive Director at Tata Motors Ltd. bagged the ‘CV Man Of the Year’. VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. emerged as the ‘CV Maker Of the Year’. The journey, the industry embarked on together, the milestones achieved as a whole by the Industry were front and centre!
New CV Business Models On The Horizon
Keynote speaker Kevin Kelly, Director – MarketsandMarkets from the United Kingdom, an experienced strategy and business growth consultant with a primary automotive focus is well regarded for his contributions at Nissan Technical Centre, Europe, Frost & Sullivan, and Switch Mobility. In his first visit to India, he took the industry through the ‘New CV Business Models On The Horizon’. Together with Hoshang Billimoria, Founder & Mentor – Next Gen Publishing, Satish Sharma, President, APMEA, Apollo Tyres Ltd., Kaushik Madhavan, VP & Global Head – Consulting, Automotive & Transportation at MarketsandMarkets and Ashish Bhatia, Editor – Commercial Vehicle And Auto Components India Magazines released an Industry White Paper co-presented by MarketsandMarkets, Commercial Vehicle Magazine and Apollo Tyres.
The white paper, titled ‘Transformation Trends & Growth Opportunities In The Global Commercial Vehicle Space’ elaborates on the new holistic approach required by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) globally. It gave a reality check on the global green mobility penetration and offerings like the Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) whilst projecting the impact on the Indian CV segment! The MarketsandMarkets Team was felicitated by Hoshang Billimoria in the presence of Satish Sharma to mark the maiden industry whitepaper launch at the forum in all its years of existence.
Elevating Customer Value Profitably In Today’s Market
The marquee panel discussion continued to be a prominent feature at the Apollo CV Awards where industry stalwarts deliberated on ‘Elevating Customer Value Profitably In Today’s Market’. VG Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner, Avanteum Advisors LLP (Ex- Frost & Sullivan), an experienced industry stakeholder familiar with key trends also the longest-serving Juror at the Awards got esteemed panelists to discuss on factors with a direct bearing on profitability. He got the panelists to deliberate on initiatives that could turn the entire CV value chain including components ancillaries, profitable.
The panelists deliberated the need to build customer oriented solutions for the Indian market over aping the global trends. The thought provoking discussion had Naveen Chopra – Head, PD and CDMM, Mahindra Truck and Bus Division opine the need to alter the approach. He spoke of building in ADAS into the drivetrain. Jehaan Kotwal, Founder HumSafer and Director, JFK Transporters Pvt. Ltd. urged the OEMs to fast track the commercialisation of electric trucks to reduce the operator running cost per kilometre. Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd., cited the value added propositions and Software-as-a-Service, the challenges associated with monetising telematics suites. He spoke of initiatives across the board and spoke of recent electric tipper truck deliveries to the customer as testimony to the CV major driving in the change.
Vishal Mathur, Sr. VP, Sales and Marketing LMD Trucks, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. spoke of the challenges and developments unique to the Light and Medium Duty segment and Eicher’s Uptime centres ensuring prognosis through a 100 per cent connected fleet. Akash Passey, President, ZF Group Region India highlighted the role of tier1 suppliers. He touched upon the evolution and transformation driving the evolutions of the Bus segment for instance. He said, India was emerging as a leader in advanced technologies not only for the Indian market but also for the global market. Satish Sharma hailed the government’s 2047 transformation vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and the focus on infrastructure and decarbonising public transportation. Girish Mallya, COO at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. ltd. felicitated the panel for an on point discussion with real world solutions for the benefit of every stakeholder in attendance.
In a key inclusion, to mark the 14 years of legacy between Apollo Tyres and Commercial Vehicle Magazine a legacy AV turned the clock back in time. This was followed by Hoshang Billimoria officially opening the awards ceremony. He drew attention to the moderate growth in CY2023, and hinted at the Lok Sabha elections making it an uncertain period for the industry.
He felicitated Satish Sharma, President – of the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA), Apollo Tyres Ltd. and hailed the long-standing partnership between Apollo Tyres Ltd. and Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd as a stand out collaboration ahead of its time. Satish Sharma echoed his sentiment. He stressed on customer experience emerging as the top priority and admitted that customers are willing to invest subject to value additions being realised. Ashish Bhatia drew attention to the meticulous ‘Nominations and Methodology’ process and the intense ‘Jury Meet’ with the standout OEM representations as the “bedrock” of the 15th Edition. Two new awards categories were introduced this year: ‘SCV Pickup Of The Year’ and the ‘Communications Excellence Team Award’.
The Awards Categories and Winners are mentioned below:
SCV OF THE YEAR
These mini trucks are a testimony to looks being deceptive. Don’t go by their cute exteriors as they are pushing the boundary when it comes to the rated payloads for the last mile.
Kaushik Madhavan and Mr Kevin Kelly of MarketsandMarkets declared the MAHINDRA SUPRO PROFIT TRUCK CNG DUO as the winner.
THREE-WHEELER OF THE YEAR
A reason for the Small Commercial Vehicles pushing the envelope is the coming-of-age three-wheelers that have brought about the blurring of boundaries.
Rajesh Gogate, Regional Manager (Mumbai) – Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. declared the PIAGGIO APE’ XTRA LDX CLASSIC as the winner.
EV OF THE YEAR
This pool is a reflection of the energy transition and the adoption of battery-electric commercial Vehicles.
Girish Mallya, COO, of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. declared the MAHINDRA TREO PLUS as the winner.
SCV PICK UP OF THE YEAR
The blurring of boundaries touched upon earlier forced a rethink of the pickup category. So this year, the new category acknowledged the growing muscle mass. These vehicles can run longer, and serve better!
R Mohan Kumar – Regional Head OEM Business, Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared the TATA INTRA V20 GOLD and ASHOK LEYLAND BADA DOST CNG as the joint winners.
PICK UP OF THE YEAR
The Pure pickups have turned more sophisticated, and technologically advanced, and cater to the aspirations of the owner cum driver as well as the fleets. They are truly coming of age.
VG Ramakrishnan, Managing Partner, Avanteum Advisors LLP declared the MAHINDRA BOLERO MAXX PICKUP HD as the winner.
VAN OF THE YEAR
This category is diverse to put it simply. From serving as minibuses to special application vehicles like an office on wheels or ambulances to doing the rounds as intercity touring alternatives, Vans stand out in a crowd and hold their own.
Ashish Bhatia, Editor of Commercial Vehicle declared the FORCE URBANIA as the winner.
ICV CARGO CARRIER OF THE YEAR
The ICV Cargo Carrier category (8.5 to 18.5-tonne) had to be dropped this year and the focus was shifted to the ICV Cargo of the Year. Both a vital and hot segment today and one that was closely competed this year.
Sandeep Mathur – Group Head OE & Institutional Business – APMEA, Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared the EICHER PRO 2118 as the winner.
M&HCV CARGO CARRIER
The M&HCV Cargo Carrier category (up to 55-tonne) started as a large sample set. With the jurors diving in deeper, the category was arranged and rearranged to finally have the right products compete with a level playing field, setting new benchmarks for a category turning to technology for higher efficiencies.
Shyam Maller, Independent Consultant & Former Executive Vice President – of VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. declared the TATA SIGNA 4830.T as the winner.
SMALL FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
Small fleet operator transport companies with up to 100 trucks continue to vie for excellence. The winner by all means sets the standard with its business excellence practices and overall management to come out on top. This is also a category actively decarbonising fleets.
Girish Mirchandani, Editor of Transtopics and Trans India News Network declared the ASL LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. as the winner.
The runners-up are:
| NORTH STAR WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS PVT. LTD. |
| RAMA TRAILOR SERVICE |
LARGE TRUCK FLEET OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
The big boys of the logistics industry well over 100 trucks in their fleet are the ones that bear the burden of expectations quite literally. Meeting new-age customer demands, ensuring quicker TATs and higher uptime with the help of technology and skilled drivers.
Mohan K, Head – of Bus Division, and Viplav Shah, Head LCV Sales, Marketing and Aftermarket of Ashok Leyland Ltd. declared the GUJARAT LOGISTICS as the winner.
The runners up are:
| KATARIA ENTERPRISE |
| CHETAK LOGISTICS LTD. |
TIPPER OF THE YEAR
This year, the jury had to rule out the ICV tipper segment on account of lesser competition and pool all the entries to battle it out in the tipper segment. The fight was intense on counts of advanced technological inclusions and meeting market relevance. Being bold versus being relevant was the bone of contention that the Jurors had to decode!
Ruchir Mathur, Product Mathur, Product Manager – APMEA, M&HCV Tyres at Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared the EICHER PRO 8035XM E-SMART SHIFT and ASHOK LEYLAND AVTR 2832 6X4 as the joint winners.
M&HCV TRACTOR-HEAD OF THE YEAR
With critical criteria like cost per tonne per kilometre, and the ability to haul big, HCV Tractor Heads continue to hold the fort. These trucks have been enhanced on several fronts for operator satisfaction by ticking as many crucial boxes.
Stephen D’lima, Chief Financial Officer, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. declared the TATA PRIMA 5530.S 4X2 as the winner.
Special Recognition Award
Every year we award a special recognition to deserving products. This year’s winners were shortlisted for their strong potential as most deserving by CV Magazine.
Ellora Dasgupta, Associate Publisher & General Manager (North & East). declared the JBM ECO-LIFE 12M RANGE and BPW SL AIR SUSPENSION.
CV Debutant Of The Year
Debutants are always exciting and these challengers are seeded in the market in an attempt to fill the white spaces. If they click, the risk turns into a reward; it benefits the industry as a whole.
Former CV Man Of The Year, Nalin Mehta, Business Coach and Ex-Managing Director, Mahindra Trucks declared the MAHINDRA BLAZO X M-Dura RANGE as the winner.
Telematics Technology: Best Practice Adopter Of The Year
On the fleet side, the best practice adopter from last year was looked at beyond just the ODC capability. With partners Metric Consultancy, CV Magazine pinpointed the parameters that aligned with modern-day fleet operations. Here, the Telematics suite is the foundation pillar and helps the fleet operator stand out amongst peers with tangible improvements!
Vishal Mathur, Senior VP, LMD Truck Business, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd., and Mr Bhagwan Bindiganavile, Executive VP – Strategic Planning, Brand and Communication at VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. declared GUJARAT LOGISTICS as the winner.
The runners up are:
| KATARIA ENTERPRISE |
| BEST ROADWAYS LIMITED |
I&LCV PEOPLE MOVER OF THE YEAR
The I&LCV People movers this year had a fair bit going on with the jury focusing energies on the nominee and the extent to which it caters to the changing needs of transportation. This year’s entries left no stone unturned to attract the shift to public transportation in line with the energy transitions. The number of chassis nominations is noteworthy.
SKP Amarnath, R&D Group Head – APMEA, Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared the TATA STARBUS EV 12M LOW ENTRY as the winner.
School Bus Of The Year
School buses have all the gadgetry and safety considerations factored in today to ensure kids have secure transit to and from their schools. These vehicles are back in reckoning after the pandemic-induced lull and are being piloted for new possibilities of decarbonisation.
Chanchal Arora, Deputy GM, North at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. declared the MAHINDRA CRUZIO RANGE and EICHER SKYLINE PRO-E 9M as the winner.
Staff Bus Of The Year
The staff bus segment has had an important role with the walk-to-work concept yet to pick up pace in India. So much so that OEMs have deployed these staff buses in-house to pilot the efficiencies offered to customers.
Girish Shet, General Manager South, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. ltd. declared the ASHOK LEYLAND OYSTER WIDE as the winner.
Private Bus Fleet Operator Of The Year
The private bus fleet operators are the backbone of public transportation as they complement the STUs in many places and fill the void by sheer scale.
Sridhar Chari, Busworld Ambassador Of India, the largest bus and coach fair with a deep-rooted partnership with Commercial Vehicle Magazine for many years now in a special initiative declared GUJARAT TRAVELS as the winner.
The runners up are
| CITY SERVICES |
| PRASANNA PURPLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS LTD. |
INNOVATIVE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
At Apollo CV Awards innovation is as highly regarded as a commercialised product. These are products seeded into the market, and pilots are being conducted to ensure learning before actual commercialisation.
Marzban Jasoomani, Publisher of Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. declared VOLVO FM ELECTRIC as the winner.
SPECIAL APPLICATION CV OF THE YEAR
This is one category where we never fall short of nominations as one platform is diverse and modular. More relevant than ever before to cater to the unique requirements of a very niche ecosystem. Both OEMs and special application builders deserve credit for the end product.
Akash Passey, President, ZF Group Region India declared the TATA ACE EV GARBAGE COLLECTOR and TIVA 50T HYDRAULIC AXLE TRAILER as the winners.
SPECIAL APPLICATION BUILDER OF THE YEAR
It takes a bold enterprise to build unique vehicle applications and then scale it up for B2B or B2G whatever the market pull may be!
Naveen Chopra – Head, PD & CDMM, Mahindra Truck And Bus Division declared RANDHAWA MOTORS as the winner.
CV TRANSPORT SOLUTION PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
This is one category that is growing and valued for the all round requirements if you are an OEM. Not easy to attain but if you do, the market opens up and the contributions have a direct bearing on the growth of the ecosystem helping it to scale up as a mass solution.
Jehaan Kotwal, Founder of HumSafer. and CEO, JFK Transporters Pvt. Ltd. declared VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. as the winner.
CV DEALER OF THE YEAR
Dealers continue to work closely with the OEMs, and it’s their touchpoints and service levels that earn the manufacturer’s patronage. This partnership between the OEMs and the Dealers deserves a special round of applause as they wade through the good and bad times as one close-knit unit.
Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors Ltd. declared JASPER INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD. as the winner.
The runners up are
| PASCO MOTORS |
| RANDHAWA MOTORS |
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM EXCELLENCE AWARD
Before we move to the business end of the awards, CV Magazine with Apollo Tyres acknowledged the efforts of the often-overlooked corporate communication Teams. These Teams worked tirelessly over months of the nomination process to ensure the nominations were shared in the prescribed format and the entries were well-rounded. This year, the OEM representations were a resounding success and these teams had a key role to play.
Ekta Gulati, Head CV- Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared TATA MOTORS LTD. and VE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES LTD. as the winners.
Moving on to the most coveted set of awards for this edition!
CV MAN OF THE YEAR
Slipping into challenging roles and situations without breaking into a sweat and taking the team along is the hallmark of a true leader. The choice is never easy and the jury flipped through exhaustive presentations to cut through. Whatever may be the performance of an organisation, the efforts to push the organisation to stay true to its long-term vision take a bold leader.
Hoshang Billimoria, Founder and Mentor at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. declared GIRISH WAGH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TATA MOTORS LTD. as the winner.
CV MAKER OF THE YEAR
The buoyancy in sentiment despite the challenges curtailing a fast-paced growth, the CV Maker of the year left a lasting impression on the jury. The winner was chosen for a well-rounded performance through the past year, and for taking the right calls at the right time. The CV Maker Of The Year scored high on multiple facets driving the Total Industry Volume (TIV) and leading the pursuit of growth in every manner expected.
Satish Sharma, President – APMEA, Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared VE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES LTD. as the winner.
CV OF THE YEAR
The CV of the year is that vehicle which epitomises the changing face of the Indian CV Industry. All the CVs that won in their respective categories battled it out for just that until the jury totalled in favour of one. This year, the hunt was for the vehicle that BROKE THE MOULD! This year, auditing partner Mazars sent the compilation a few days earlier in a departure from our old practice of the popular sealed envelope as a testimony to the evolution of the Awards IP!
Hoshang Billimoria, Founder and Mentor at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. and Satish Sharma, President – APMEA, Apollo Tyres Ltd. declared MAHINDRA BOLERO MAXX PIK-UP HD and the FORCE URBANIA as the winners.
Girish Mallya, COO, Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd. gave a vote of thanks before all the winners gathered to raise their trophies as a toast to the commercial vehicle industry’s future prospects. The milestone 15th Edition of Apollo CV Awards is humbled by the wholehearted support of the industry making this edition a grand success!
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Apollo CV Awards will be back for its 16Th Edition next year!
Also read https://commercialvehicle.in/honouring-cv-industry-excellence/
