The recent Ashok Leyland Truck lunches have placed customer requirements front and centre. Ashish Bhatia draws attention to the value offerings.
Leyland Ltd. continues to find white spaces. The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) emphasises on getting customer feedback for product improvements and new launches. A testimony to it is the company launching two 4×2 tractors. The company launched the AVTR 4220 with 41.5-tonne Gross Combination Weight (GCW) and AVTR 4420 with 43.5-tonne GCW. The launch stands out and makes Ashok Leyland the first Indian OEM to offer tractors with 41.5-tonne and 43.5-tonne GCW in a two-axle configuration. Elaborating on the strategy behind the launch, Sanjeev Kumar, Head – M&HCV, Ashok Leyland Ltd. said, “The modular platform of Ashok Leyland enables us to deliver custom-tailored products to cater for the needs of every customer. The high GCW of AVTR 4220 and 4420 tractors permits customers to carry denser loads, thus delivering superior fuel efficiency and a better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) advantage.” “We will continue our innovation journey with new models to meet the emerging demands of our customers.”
Powered by the H6 six-cylinder engine with i-Gen6 technology, the company claims to have attained higher fluid efficiency and lower DEF consumption. The tractors will be offered in multiple cabin options as per the need of the customer. The AVTR 4220 with 41.5-tonne GCW draws power from the BSVI. Notably, the launch comes close on the heels of the ecomet STAR 1815 with 17.5-tonne GVW.The latter (ecomet STAR 1815) offers a best-in-class payload of 11.74-tonne in a High Side Deck (HSD) body and comes with options of five loading spans on the whole. The truck draws power from the BSVI 3839 cc H Series, a four-cylinder, common rail diesel engine, mated to a manual synchromesh six-speed transmission (with cable shift). It comes with inclusions like Advanced Digital Driver Assist (ADDA) and i-Alert telematics routed to the uptime solutions centre.
The AVTR range in the Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) segment for the company is said to have gained widespread customer acceptance based on proven performance and reliability. The launch of the CNG vehicles in the ICV range is known to have further bolstered the Ashok Leyland truck portfolio. The company continues to commit to cleaner emission vehicles. It has developed a roadmap covering CNG, LNG, hydrogen, fuel cell and battery electric vehicles to cater to different applications and customer needs. It is also working to extend CNG and LNG across the full range of trucks and buses. On the safety front, the company is working on enabling various Advanced Drive Assistance Systems (ADAS) levels with a three-year rollout plan. It is engaging with key technology partners and customers to develop and deploy the features.
The company supports the development and commercialisation strategy by building an ecosystem to enable the customers to deploy green energy vehicles. Work is underway in full swing to enhance digitalisation with solutions like prognostics and customised AMC. In the last quarter, attention has been drawn to the on-ground acceleration of its emobility drive through Switch Mobility, a separate business entity for Ashok Leyland BEVs. The focus on EVs across buses and LCVs could help the company leverage the progress made in India, the U.K., and Spain. It could help to tap opportunities in the domestic and international markets. In buses, the Switch EiV 12 bus launch in Tamil Nadu will be followed up by a 13.5m intercity coach and a double-decker bus. Its eLCV launch is also around the corner.
