New Delhi, October 7, 2013: Commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland is planning to produce about 500-1,000 units of its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the Stile, that it launched today in New Delhi. To be produced at its joint venture partner Nissan’s Oragadam facility, the Stile comes with an ARAI-certified fuel efficiency of 19.5kpl.
The 7-seater Stile, which has a starting price of Rs 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the basic AC and electric power steering option, will be sold through 130 outlets. These have been set up by Ashok Leyland for promoting its LCV business. The top-end model is priced at Rs 9.29 lakh but ABS and airbag options are currently not available in the Stile.
Dr V Sumantran, vice-chairman of Ashok Leyland, claimed that the MPV will offer 50 percent more mileage than the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo. The Stile is powered by the Renault K9K diesel engine and leverages Japanese technology. It has been developed on a contemporary platform and is the second offering from the vehicle manufacturer on in its LCV line-up. The Stile will address various applications in urban and rural areas like hotel shuttles, taxi services, ambulances, panel vans, courier services, inter-city and intra-city travel.
“With the Stile, our mission was clear – to deliver to the Indian customer, a contemporary MPV with lots of space, contemporary styling, comfort features and most of all, class leading fuel efficiency. The Stile is developed on a trusted and reliable vehicle platform that reflects our continued focus on offering Japanese technology and quality at Indian cost. With the Stile also in our portfolio, we are now better positioned to cater to a wider customer base and range of transportation needs,” said Dr Sumantran.
At present, the first LCV from the Ashok Leyland stable, Dost has sold 55,000 units since its launch 1.5 years ago. However, April-September 2013 sales of the Dost are down by 12 percent to 14,021 units from 15,913 units in the same period a year ago.
According to Nitin Seth, executive director (LCVs), Ashok Leyland-Nissan, the K9K engine made at Chennai and powering the Stile has sold 100,000 units in India and is used to power 44 models across six brands. The company is targeting 200 dealerships for its LCV business by end-March of which many will come in the Eastern part of the country, in Uttar Pradesh and also in Tier 2 and 3 towns.
So far Ashok Leyland has invested Rs 1,200 crore on the three LCV platforms – Dost, Stile and the soon-to-be-launched Partner – which will be introduced in the second week of January 2014. Another Rs 1,200 crore will be invested in the company’s new facility coming up near Chennai and slated to go on stream within 2-3 years. All the LCV platforms will be shifted to this facility when it is commissioned.
The Dost is currently made at Ashok Leyland’s Hosur plant that has a production capacity of 50,000 units, of which the Dost accounts for 3,000 units each month. The Partner will be followed by variants of the three LCV models and these will also be showcased at the Auto Expo 2014 to be held in February.
“At present, the Partner is undergoing pre-production trials. Models for the next five years under the ALL-Nissan JV have still to be decided,” added Seth.
SHOBHA MATHUR