Post-event interview with Volvo Construction Equipment on its experience, innovations, new launches and the evolving landscape of India’s construction and mining industry.
bC India 2026 (rebranded as bauma India) brought together leading players from the construction, mining, infrastructure and industrial sectors, showcasing the latest technologies and solutions shaping the future of the industry.
At the event, Volvo Construction Equipment presented its largest-ever booth and product showcase, highlighting its expanding product portfolio, new launches, sustainability initiatives and its vision for India’s infrastructure growth.
In this exclusive post-event interaction, Volvo Construction Equipment shares insights into its experience at bC India 2026, the launch of the EC650 excavator, emerging industry trends and the role of technology and innovation in transforming India’s construction ecosystem.
1. Share your experience at bC India 2026.
Volvo Construction Equipment:
bC India 2026 has been an incredibly special edition for us. We put up our largest-ever booth and product display at the show now rebranded as bauma India, split into two zones that reflect our core customer base: one dedicated to mining and the other to construction, infrastructure and industrial applications.
Beyond the scale, what made this edition memorable was the response to our new brand campaign, “Aaj Banaya Kal,” which is built around Volvo’s global purpose of building the world we want to live in. It uses stories of children and their aspirations to show that every road, bridge or hospital we help build is really building someone’s future.
Despite our 28-year legacy in India, we found that many average construction-site buyers still associated the Volvo name more with buses and cars than with our equipment. This campaign was about closing that emotional gap and making the brand relatable to the mainstream buyer, not just our premium mining customers.
2. What new products have you launched?
Volvo Construction Equipment:
The headline launch for us this year was the EC650, a 65-tonne excavator purpose-built for the mining segment.
It’s powered by a proven 13-litre engine with a higher power rating and a fuel-efficient hydraulic system and it’s designed to pair with our Volvo FMX 500 truck for a better total cost of ownership.
It slots neatly between our existing 50/55-tonne and 75-tonne classes, giving customers who are scaling up to larger machines and leaner teams a productivity-focused option.
It’s been tested extensively in Indian conditions for over a year, so it’s fully ready for this selling season.
Alongside this, we continued to showcase our growing 20-tonne portfolio — the EC210, EC215, 220D and 220DL — as well as our electric wheel loader, the JL120/L120, which is gaining real traction as fuel costs rise.
3. Which trends and innovations showcased at bC India 2026 do you believe will shape the future of construction and infrastructure in India?
Volvo Construction Equipment:
A few clear trends stood out.
First, electrification — our JL120 electric wheel loader, with roughly 6–8 hours of runtime, is increasingly viable and we’re accelerating adoption by offering it through an Equipment-as-a-Service model rather than a straight sale, so customers can build confidence with the technology before committing to purchase.
We already have close to 100 EaaS units deployed across India.
Second, I’d point to digital and data-led technologies — telematics, predictive maintenance, embedded systems and AI — which are increasingly complementing traditional mechanical and hydraulic engineering.
We’ve actually been using telematics since 2010 and electronic engines since 2003, so this is a long-term trajectory rather than a sudden shift.
Third, mechanization and precision tools — like road-cutting attachments replacing indiscriminate digging — will be central to India’s next phase of infrastructure, which needs to shift from quantity to quality, whether that’s in road design, exit ramps and signage, or in the scale of railway infrastructure coming up under the government’s high-speed rail and dedicated freight corridor plans.
Longer term, I also expect hydrogen technologies to start playing a role from around 2030, even as diesel remains a significant part of the mix for the next 10–15 years.
4. What sets bC India apart from other industry platforms in terms of innovation, networking and business opportunities?
Volvo Construction Equipment:
What makes bC India unique is the sheer breadth of the ecosystem it brings together under one roof — OEMs, component suppliers, customers, policymakers and media at a scale no other platform in India matches.
It gives us the opportunity to showcase equipment the way it’s actually used on site, in settings that mirror real-world applications, rather than just static displays.
It’s also become the natural venue for us to launch products and brand initiatives that speak directly to where India’s infrastructure story is headed, tied closely to the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
Just as importantly, it’s a platform for dialogue — this year, for instance, it gave us the chance to talk openly about the industry-wide skilling gap and the need for far greater collective investment in training the next generation of operators and engineers, alongside the purely commercial and technological conversations.
About Volvo Construction Equipment
Volvo Construction Equipment continues to focus on delivering sustainable, efficient and technology-driven solutions for India’s construction and mining sectors, supporting the country’s growing infrastructure ambitions through innovation, mechanization and customer-centric solutions.
Dimitrov Krishnan
(Managing Director, Volvo Construction Equipment India)
