What are trucks in India called?
Trucks are most commonly referred to as "lorries" in India. The term lorry is used to describe large motor vehicles designed for transporting heavy cargo loads across land.
As a passionate gamer and content creator focusing on the latest news and updates in the gaming world, I was intrigued to learn about the vibrant trucking culture in India and how it has inspired some creative designs wrapped around these heavy-duty vehicles. In this article, let‘s take a closer look at what trucks are called in India, the top brands and models, pricing ranges, specialty vehicles like tuk-tuks, and more!
Classification of Trucks in India
Broadly speaking, trucks in India are categorized into two segments:
Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs): As the name suggests, these are small trucks used for relatively lighter loads up to around 3 tons capacity. Some examples of LCV trucks are the Tata Ace and Mahindra Supro.
Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles: This covers bigger trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty vehicles with capacities ranging from 3 tons up to 49 tons for tractor-trailers. Under trucking, this segment has vehicles like the Ashok Leyland Partner and Tata Signa.
According to statistics from the Indian government, the share of LCVs among domestic truck sales has grown from 27% in 2011 to over 36% in 2019. This shows the rising demand for last-mile transportation.
Source: SIAM
Top Truck Brands in India
The Indian truck market is dominated by Tata and Ashok Leyland, which together command over 60% share. Mahindra, Eicher, Force Motors, and BharatBenz are other leading players. International brands like Isuzu, Volkswagen, and Volvo also have offerings.
Here‘s a breakdown of the major truck manufacturers in India:
| Brand | Year Founded | Market Share | Popular Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tata Motors | 1945 | ~31% | Tata LPT, Tata Signa, Tata Ultra |
| Ashok Leyland | 1948 | ~31% | Partner, Captain, DOST, Boss |
| Mahindra & Mahindra | 1945 | ~11% | Furio, Blazo, Jeeto |
| BharatBenz | 2006 | ~5% | 1214, 1217, 3143 |
| Eicher Motors | 1982 | ~5% | Pro 6000 series |
| Force Motors | 1958 | ~3% | Trump, Traveller |
Tata and Ashok Leyland lead primarily because they‘ve been in this sector for decades and cater well to price-sensitive buyers. But newer entrants like BharatBenz are also growing impressively post-2010.
Personally as a gamer, I‘m thrilled to see car manufacturers infusing connected technology in their latest trucks. For instance, Tata Signa has a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment while Eicher Pro 6000 offers remote diagnostics!
Truck Prices in India
As you can imagine, prices vary enormously from basic small pickups and lorries costing a few lakh rupees to sophisticated tractor-trailers running into crores of rupees!
| Category | Price Range | Top Models |
|---|---|---|
| Small commercial vehicles | ₹3 – 10 lakhs | Tata Ace, Mahindra Jeeto |
| Light-duty trucks | ₹8 – 15 lakhs | Eicher Pro 1049, Tata 407, Mahindra Bolero Pikup |
| Medium-duty trucks | ₹15 – 25 lakhs | Ashok Leyland Partner, Tata LPT 912 |
| Heavy-duty trucks | ₹30 – ₹45 lakhs | BharatBenz 1214R, Ashok Leyland 1928 |
| Tractor-trailers | ₹35 – 78 lakhs | Tata Signa 4623, Eicher Pro 6028 |
As evident from the table, small commercial vehicles are the most affordable while powerful tractor-trailers with high tonnage capacity and features are premium priced.
Brand also impacts pricing. For instance, the Tata Signa 4623 6×2 tractor unit costs ₹30 – 45 lakhs while a similar Volvo FM 420 6×2 is priced upwards of ₹75 lakhs!
Specialty Trucks in India
Beyond conventional trucks, India has some unique specialty commercial vehicles across various tonnages. These bring more choice to buyers:
Tuk-Tuk: The iconic 3-wheeled open-sided autorickshaw that can squeeze through the narrowest lanes while seating 3 people! They cost Rs 1.5 – 4 lakhs based on features.
E-rickshaw: A battery-powered 3-wheeler alternative to tuk-tuks for last-mile connectivity. Prices are Rs 1 – 2.25 lakhs.
Pickup Truck: Lifestyle vehicles with payload capacity of ~1 ton priced Rs 7 – 15 lakhs from Isuzu, Tata, Mahindra brands. Great for city usage.
Personally I feel pickup trucks are an underserved segment in India considering their versatility. As a gamer hauled up in my room, even I‘d love to take one on long road trips to LAN parties and gaming conventions!
Why "Lorries" and Not Trucks?
Lorry is the most common term for trucks in India rather than words like ‘truck‘ or ‘semi‘. Part of it may have to do with our British colonial influence.
As per my research, the word lorry originated in England in the 1800s referring to heavy wagons moving cargo. Post World War 1, it got affixed to motorised vehicles.
So in a nutshell, lorry became the default lexicon adopted to describe trucks in Britain and her colonies like India. America however took to ‘truck‘ instead and that stuck. So it‘s merely an etymological difference!
Vintage lorry image credit: williamart / istockphotos.com
But make no mistake, whether we call it lorry, truck or semi, their core utility remains shipping freight over land!
And with GST and infrastructure investments under way, I foresee India‘s lorry market hitting rapid growth in this decade. Exciting times ahead for truck gamers like myself!
So that sums up the key facts on what trucks are called in India. Let me know in comments if you have any other questions on this heavy vehicular segment!
