Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) has appointed Alejandro Rodriguez Cuadra (Alex) as Head of Research & Development (R&D), adding a global engineering responsibility to his new position. He will also serve as Global Head of Engineering Backbone at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, strengthening the connection between India’s engineering capabilities and the company’s international engineering network.
Announced on October 6, 2026, the appointment brings together leadership of DICV’s R&D organisation and a global role focused on engineering collaboration, process harmonisation and the development of efficient engineering structures across markets.
In these positions, Rodriguez Cuadra will work across DICV, Daimler Truck Innovation Centre India (DTICI) and Mercedes-Benz Trucks to align engineering processes and support the integration of India’s technical capabilities into Daimler Truck’s global operations.
An International Career in Engineering and Manufacturing
Rodriguez Cuadra brings extensive international experience across engineering, manufacturing, production preparation and vehicle development. He joined Daimler in 2005 as a career trainee at the Mercedes-Benz Trucks plant in Wörth, Germany, beginning a career that has spanned multiple engineering and operational functions.
His subsequent leadership responsibilities have included manufacturing engineering, powertrain operations, production preparation, ramp-up management and series support. More recently, he held senior responsibilities at Mercedes-Benz Trucks involving manufacturing engineering, product preparation, buildability validation and R&D activities related to pneumatic lines and wiring geometries across Germany and Türkiye.
His experience also includes assignments in Japan and India, where he worked on manufacturing initiatives, lean capabilities and the development of Kaizen practices. At FUSO Japan, he oversaw production preparation and supported vehicle launches, including the eCanter electric truck.
Rodriguez Cuadra holds dual degrees in Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from the Technical Universities of Madrid and Munich.
Connecting India’s Engineering Capabilities with Global R&D
A key aspect of Rodriguez Cuadra’s dual role is the closer integration of DICV and DTICI with the global engineering priorities of Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
DICV is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG and manufactures commercial vehicles under the BharatBenz brand, alongside Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner trucks at its integrated facility in Oragadam, Chennai. Its operations form part of Daimler Truck’s broader international manufacturing and engineering network.
The company’s engineering activities in India can contribute to vehicle development and the technical requirements of multiple markets. By linking DICV’s R&D organisation with the global Engineering Backbone function, the appointment is intended to strengthen collaboration, encourage knowledge exchange and improve consistency in engineering processes across locations.
The role also connects with the work of DTICI, which contributes engineering capabilities from India to Daimler Truck’s wider technology and product development activities.
Supporting Engineering Collaboration Across Markets
In his global Engineering Backbone role, Rodriguez Cuadra will focus on harmonising engineering processes, strengthening cross-border collaboration and establishing efficient engineering structures. These priorities are relevant to a global commercial vehicle business that must coordinate product development, manufacturing requirements and technical processes across different markets.
Common engineering processes can support more effective cooperation between teams, while closer integration between regional and global engineering functions can help connect local capabilities with wider product and technology requirements.
DICV’s responsibilities also extend to the India, South-East Asia and Australia-Pacific (ISEAA) customer region. In this context, the collaboration between DICV, DTICI and Mercedes-Benz Trucks will help align engineering capabilities with the requirements of customers and markets across the region.
India’s Role in Commercial Vehicle Engineering
India’s engineering workforce and automotive manufacturing base are becoming increasingly connected to the international operations of global vehicle manufacturers. DICV’s engineering network is part of this broader relationship between Indian technical capabilities and global commercial vehicle development.
Rodriguez Cuadra’s appointment places leadership of DICV’s R&D organisation alongside a global engineering responsibility. The dual role is designed to strengthen cooperation between teams in India and other markets, while supporting the engineering needs of the wider Mercedes-Benz Trucks business.
As commercial vehicle manufacturers continue to coordinate engineering and manufacturing activities across regions, collaboration between local R&D teams and global engineering functions remains an important part of developing vehicles for diverse customer and market requirements.
