JCBL's King Long is here to stay!

JCBL's King Long is here to stay!

The Volvo B7R, which has been a hit with travelers all over India is facing some serious competition for the first time. No, it aint from Tata or Ashok Leyland, the home grown companies, but from the Chinese King Long company. Yeah, the Chinese are here once again to prove their point, and let me assure you, they are here to stay!

Tata and Ashok Leyland tried their level best to get a share of the super-luxury bus segment but did not get a good response from the tour operators as well as the customers. Yes, the B7R sells for a mighty high figure (70 lacs) but then you get what you pay for : Speed, safety and comfort. It is not common to see these buses blaring down highways around the country at 110km/h, and overtaking other Indian buses on hills as if they were standing still. Inside, comfort takes a new zone with minimal engine vibrations creeping and the air suspension making sure you are isolated from the road undulations to a very high extent. But things seem to be changing.

JCBL, one of the biggest bus body manufacturers has tied with King Long of China, to bring in these super luxury buses at a very competitive pricing. These may not be priced closer to the Indian rivals but still offer Volvo like speed, safety and comfort at a far lesser price. Their website, www.kinglong.com.cn has a product overview of the range on offer. The Indian model is called the KL-6113

I have personally seen these up north on the Delhi to Agra and Delhi to Katra route. They might not be as huge as Volvo but seems a bit wider in comparison. The engine options as displayed on their website show that when it comes to power and torque, they are pumping out a lot more than what Volvo B7R does. The company claims that the Indian offering from King Long hits 115km/h and the engine pumps out 245bhp. The bus is 11.3mtrs long and seating capacity is 47 (including driver and conductor). Selling price is 48lacs, way less than what Volvo asks for the B7R

It took some time before the B7R made its presence felt way back when it was launched. Going by this, it shouldnt be long before we see increasing number of the King Longs on the road. I have started seeing these on the Mumbai to Pune and Chennai to Trivandrum route. Hopefully, the numbers will increase soon and these will start challenging the Volvos on longer routes like Mumbai to Bangalore and Chennai to Vizag...

I have used the B7R for travelling to various places: Bangalore, Mangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Davanagere, Belgaum and with time have a fair idea of how they feel. Next time I visit Pune, shall travel on a King Long then to see how the Chinese serving compares!

Here is a pic of the Kinglong used by MSRTC (Shiveneri) in Maharashtra


RELATED LINK
Visit my Blog on the Volvo B7R