Ashok Leyland today launched the Boss LE and LX Trucks, equipped with the company’s i-Gen6 BS-VI technology. The Boss range is one of Ashok Leyland’s leading brands in the Intermediate Commercial Vehicle (ICV) segment.

These two vehicles will address the 11.1 tonne to 14.05 tonne GVW market. Customers can choose from multiple combinations – loading span from 14 feet to 24 feet and body type options of high side deck, fixed side deck, drop side deck, cab chassis, container and tipper. The pricing for the Boss LE and LX starts from Rs 18 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai / Delhi / Chennai).  The vehicle will be manufactured at the Ennore plant for the southern India market and at the Pantnagar plant for the Northern market. 

The Boss platform offers multiple applications including usage for parcel and courier, poultry, white goods, agri-perishable, e-commerce, FMCG, auto parts and reefer, among others. Customers can choose from two cabin options. Ashok Leyland says Boss LE and LX buyers can expect multiple improvement over BS IV technology like up to 7% higher fluid efficiency, up to 5% better tyre life, up to 30% longer service interval and up to 5% lower maintenance cost.

The Boss ICV will be available as a fully-built option with class-leading ergonomic and safety features for the driver. It comes bundled with digital solutions like i-Alert, remote diagnostics.

Commenting on the launch of the two new ICVs, Vipin Sondhi, MD and CEO, Ashok Leyland, said, “We have been on track with our plans, despite the challenging year we are all facing. Starting with the AVTR launch, followed by DigitAL Nxt suite of digital solutions, Bada Dost and now the Boss ICV trucks, we aim to give our customers the latest and most advanced products and technology.  With this launch in our Boss range, our ICV offering is now one of the best in the market. ICVs are seeing a spurt in demand and this is the best time to introduce our proven I-Gen6 BS-VI technology in one of our best-selling brands in the portfolio. These launches will further strengthen our portfolio and help us achieve our vision of being in the Global Top 10 CV makers.”

Speaking to Autocar Professional, Anuj Kathuria, Chief Operating Officer, Ashok Leyland, said: “The ICV segment is an upcoming segment and with the Bosswe will be covering an entire range of the segment. The LE and LX will be the sub-platform and with these, you will have various variants including different GVW, loading spans, load bodies. A few sets of the variants were made available to the market in June and it performed really well. In the last three months, we have sold over 600 vehicles on the Boss platform and every month we continue to see healthy demand. With this launch, we are covering all the variants on both the LX and LE. The LE will have a full metal fascia which a few customers would require. The LX is a premium offering and is suited for long distances.” 

He added, “We have been steadily gaining market share in the ICV segment for the past eight years and our brand, Boss, has been leading that growth. From 6% market share in FY12, we are now selling over 20% ICVs in the Indian market. With the new Boss LE and LX, we have further improved on our USPs of higher fuel economy and durability, making it a compelling choice for ICV customers. These new vehicles address a fast-growing segment, which demands high uptime, for long distances. We are confident that the new Bosswill not only drive us towards a cleaner future, with its i-Gen6 engines, but also contribute to our vision of being in the Top 10 Global CV makers.”

“The new vehicle is a combination of various requirements put together.  Every requirement will be unique in the segment as most of the buyers are first-time users. And, we could address all that in a smart manner with this,” stated Kathuria. 

Though the LE variant looks a bit similar to Ashok Leyland’s Guru, Kathuria clarified that they are two different vehicles. Also, the new vehicle comes bundled with Ashok Leyland’s I-Alert platform for remote diagnostics and more. “All our BS VI vehicles including the Ecomet and AVTR platform come with the pre-fitted I-Alert 3.0. It is a much more improved version compared to the earlier I-Alert and help us in remote diagnosis, 

The new ICV has been under rigorous validation and testing for over 20 lakh kilometres and 400 different performance tests. The components tests were also conducted for 33,000 hours.

The Boss LE and LX come with a 4-year,400,000km warranty which can be extended up to six years.  They also get a four-hour response and 48-hours restoration promise. Considering the high uptime requirement for these vehicles, it will be supported with ‘Quick accident repair’ and will have an exclusive bay at workshops. Customers have over 3,000 touch-points across the country for ease of access to sales and aftersales support, supported by the 24x7 customer assistance Uptime Solution Centre and Service Mandi network.

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