Ashok Leyland gets going with Hino engines

Chennai: For the Rs 2,630 crore truck major Ashok Leyland, the current year has begun on a favourable note. The company has sold 2,236 vehicles during April 2002 as against 1,808 units the earlier year.

The major growth has come from the medium-duty segment, with the company selling 1,623 numbers, clocking an increase of 509 units over previous years April sales. While light commercial vehicle sales too perked up, passenger vehicles continue to be lower as in the previous fiscal.

Starting this year Ashok Leyland will be moving towards the single-engine Hino platform from the present three-engines offering, because it is economical for both the company as well as the customer. The company has also developed Hino CNG engines, which will be introduced this year.

"The question is what the market wants. Further, the single-engine and gear-box platform will give us economies of scale", says Ashok Leyland managing director R Seshasayee. Similarly, engine production will be concentrated in Hosur, and ZF gearboxes at the Bandra plant.

According to Seshasayee, the shift-over to the Hino engine platform will entail an additional investment of Rs 45 crore; it will also use the Iveco engine production line at its Hosur plant.

On the products front the company will be launching two new tractor-trailers with air-conditioned sleeper cab. A 15-tonne, 4x2 haulage Comet variant, a factory-built minibus (28-32-seater) for the export market, and a whole new series of modern and economical trucks code named Ecomet are on the anvil, says Seshasayee. The other areas being looked at to improve revenues are annual maintenance contracts, night services, residuals life forecasting and others.