From October 2020, off-road vehicles and machinery will have to adhere to the new emission norms. Japanese engine maker Kubota Corporation sees this as an opportune moment to get into the Indian market. After 15 years of selling small volumes of engines directly from Osaka in Japan, Kubota will start selling from India through its Indian subsidiary Kubota Agricultural Machinery India (KAI).
Kubota manufactures compact diesel and gasoline engines, for industrial, agricultural, construction and generator applications. It used to supply industrial engines to OEMs in India directly from Kubota Corporation in Osaka, Japan. Kubota has been selling engines to India for around 15 years, but in small volumes.
Currently, these Kubota engines will be sourced from Japan or imported from engine factories in China and Thailand. But a factory in India would their next step. “India is a strategic market for us, foreseeing continuous growth in off-road engine market especially for constructions and industrial machinery. Establishing an engine sales base in India had been our target as a big step to solidify our presence in India,” Yasukazu Kamada, GM, engine division, Kubota, said.
Emission standards for industrial engines have become more stringent globally and so has it in India with Bharat Stage 4 expected to be in force in 2020, he said. “With our experience from North American and European markets where emissions regulations are more stringent than that of India, we are confident to be able to support OEMs in India meet the new emissions regulations,” Kamada said.
In India Kubota’s current portfolio comprises tractors, rice planters, harvesters and power tillers. Industrial engines have now added to KAI’s product portfolio in India. Its engine range is from 6kW to 157kW. Currently, the most sales volume range is accounted between 19kW to 55kW but the market for the company’s bigger range, over 100kW, has been growing faster.