Ashok Leyland mulls new product range

Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group flagship company, is planning to replace its existing products with new ones by 2012-13.



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Unveiling the new platform for commercial trucks and engine in Chennai, R Seshasayee, managing director, Ashok Leyland, said the induction of new products would start by 2010 and is expected to be complete by 2012-13.

Though there has been a slowdown in the commercial vehicle segment due to a credit crunch, Ashok Leyland has no intentions of holding back its investments. The new platform, called Unitruck, which is 49 tonne GCW (gross combination weight) from 16 tonne GVW (gross vehicle weight)earlier, will cater to both domestic and international markets, said Seshasayee.

This on and off-highway platform variants can be created for different geographical locations, road/load conditions, applications and legislative requirements, he added.

The Unitruck range will feature new-generation cabs initially. These modular cabs will be available in multiple widths, heights, lengths and other features.

The company also introduced the ‘Neptune’ engine, which has modular capacity, ranging from 4.7-litre to 8-litre Bharat Stage (BS)-3 and BS-5, and conforms to Euro-4 emission norms. Moreover, it can be upgraded to Euro-V. All new vehicles of Ashok Leyland will have the Neptune engine, Seshasayee said.

The price advantage of products developed in India would be 1:4, he said. However, he pointed out that the unit cost difference would not be the same, as global original equipment makers (OEMs) source their products from developing markets.