The e-commerce sector is growing rapidly that it is rubbing off even on the commercial vehicle segment of the automobile market. It has helped boost the sales, especially in the bulk purchases that are yet to come from the customers already in the infrastructure industry.
As per the acknowledgement from the senior executives at a leading commercial vehicle maker, the contribution of the booming e-commerce related logistics is quite strong in the industry. They expect the same to increase further. E-commerce contributes to a small portion of the local freight industry, but its growth potential is quite high. When it comes to the commercial vehicle manufacturers, the e-commerce influenced revenue opportunity is projected by the executives who are as high as $500 million in the next three or four years.
Ravi Pisharody, the Executive Director at Tata Motors’ Commercial Vehicle Business stated that they have sold around 1,000 mini trucks already and these are used for the last mile deliveries. They retail around 100 to 200 small commercial vehicles per month that are used for the e-commerce goods movement. Tata Motors is the leading commercial vehicle manufacture in the country that sells approximately 13,500 light commercial vehicles per month. In case, the consumption increases over the traditional retail, they can expect a higher demand in the heavy duty trucks.
The Managing Director of Ashok Leyland, Vinod Dasari stated that they also have a similar view. The e-commerce is helping the industry a lot. Rather than someone visiting the store to purchase, the consumers are getting things from online. These products are shopped to their doorsteps from the central warehouses. Eventually, e-commerce has become the vital contributor that has increased the business of the commercial vehicle manufactures in all means. The increase will go on as the online shopping trend is the latest rage in the country.
