Ashok Leyland and Nissan unveils Dost LCV

Ashok Leyland and Nissan Motor Company have unveiled their first Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) – the Ashok Leyland DOST. The product will be launched to the market, as indicated earlier, in the second quarter of FY 2011-2012. The ‘Ashok Leyland DOST’ will be produced in Ashok Leyland’s Hosur manufacturing plant. Powered by a specially-developed, 55 hp high-torque, 3-cylinder, turbo-charged Common Rail Diesel engine, the vehicle has a payload capacity of 1.25 Tonnes. Reflecting the growing expectations of the Indian LCV customer, the Ashok Leyland DOST will be available in 3 versions: a base version with manual steering, a mid version with power steering and a higher version which will have dual tone interiors, power steering and AC. The vehicle will be available in both BSIII and BSIV versions. Mirroring the evolution of the entire Indian car and light truck market, the Small Commercial Vehicle segment (vehicles less than 3.5 Tonnes) has been witnessing a perceptible upward shift in terms of features, performance and payload and the Ashok Leyland DOST has been positioned as a contemporary, powerful yet highly efficient product. With the hub-and-spoke model fast gaining ground, it is well-placed to ride the robust demand for vehicles making last-mile deliveries. The Ashok Leyland DOST will be available through a newly developed LCV Exclusive network to give customers a new level of experience. “The Indian market is rapidly evolving and customer expectations are growing. We believe that the LCV segment is ready for a substantial upgradation of products that yet offer low cost of ownership. The Ashok Leyland DOST with its carefully calibrated design and features, attempts to offer a new level of experience to the Indian customer,” said Dr. V. Sumantran, Executive Vice Chairman, Hinduja Automotive Ltd. and Chairman, Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain Ltd. “Its design reflects the philosophy of both partners: blending the long traditions of quality and comfort of Nissan with the proven record of rugged reliability and fuel efficiency of Ashok Leyland,” he elaborated. Dr. Andy Palmer, Senior Vice-President, Nissan Motor Company and Chairman, Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles Ltd., said, “The product blends the best in terms of Japanese engineering from Nissan, with local relevance that Ashok Leyland brings to the table. It represents a very attractive value proposition to the small and medium businesses that it is targeted at and we are confident that it will find wide acceptance when launched.”