Scania Resets India Strategy with Mining and Construction Focus

Swedish truck manufacturer Scania is preparing for a fresh chapter in India, beginning with mining and construction vehicles before venturing into road haulage. The revival is being led by industry veteran Silvio Munhoz, who returned from retirement to steer the company’s renewed journey in India. Despite operating with a start-up mindset, Scania benefits from the global backing and compliance framework of its parent group, Volkswagen.

Munhoz, who has extensive experience with Scania in Brazil and Chile, is introducing the concept of “solution sales” to the Indian market. Rather than just selling trucks, Scania aims to provide a comprehensive package including financing, leasing, driver training, uptime guarantees, and even resale support.

Focused Strategy After Setbacks

The company faced compliance challenges and a bus plant closure in its earlier stint in India. Now, it declares itself “fully reset and compliant,” with short-term plans centred on coal, iron ore, limestone mining, and heavy construction—areas where it has global strength. Expansion into long-haul trucking is planned within three to four years.

Scania is also building an ecosystem around its vehicles, offering telematics-driven driver coaching, uptime guarantees, and financing tie-ups. It may even directly manage customer workshops in some cases. Strengthening the dealer network is another priority.

Super Series Launch and Future Roadmap

Scania recently introduced its Super Series trucks in India, featuring advanced engines, gearboxes, and chassis designed for fuel efficiency. These trucks support multiple fuels, including diesel, biodiesel, natural gas, LNG, and biogas, while being future-ready for electrification.

Production at Scania’s Narasapura plant near Bengaluru remains below its 2,000-unit annual capacity, but localisation is set to rise from below 30% to significantly higher levels by 2026. The company also sees export potential to Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, while keeping sleeper bus chassis in view.

With a short-term focus on mining, a mid-term goal of road haulage, and long-term expansion plans, Scania aims not just to operate in India but to be competitive in its strongest global segments.