Ashok Leyland unveiled two new LCVs at the 2012 Auto Expo. The one which catches our attention the most is the Ashok Leyland Stile MFV (Multi-Functional Vehicle). The Stile is nothing but a Nissan NV200 (Nissan Evalia) van underneath and will be sold by Ashok Leyland as a commercial vehicle (Nissan will sell the passenger version). The Stile will be available in both CNG and diesel and will fit the bill for taxi services, hotel shuttles, courier services, ambulances, panel vans, etc. Unlike the Toyota Innova, the Stile uses a monocoque body and hence is lighter. A dual tone dashboard dons the interiors, while Ashok Leyland plans to offer 2 and 3 row seating configurations to buyers. Launch of the Stile is in 2013.
The company also unveiled the Partner, which a new 6-tonne platform is taken from Nissan. Powered by a ZD30-DDTI common rail diesel engine which is BSIV compliant, the Partner produces 120 bhp of power and 32.4 kgm of torque. The Partner will also go into production in 2013.
The Partner has a Gross Vehicle Weight of 6-tonne, multiple load body options. The Partner on display at the Auto Expo was a refrigerated container that had a capacity of 10.7 cubic metres and broad temperature controls of -25 deg C to 10 deg C.
Ashok Leyland claims the partner has features like low NVH levels, plenty of utility space, a spacious cabin, power steering, air-conditioning, a car like gear knob and a fully tiltable cabin.
The Dost LCV was also showcased in its CNG avatar and will be launched in the later half of the year. Ashok Leyland is looking at setting-up different dealerships to sell the Stile, in addition to its dealerships for HCVs and LCVs.
Also see – Ashok Leyland launches Dost at Rs 3.79 lakhs
2012 Auto Expo – Ashok Leyland presents India’s first 37-tonne haulage truck
Source – Motorbeam
