Ashok Leyland, the commercial vehicle arm of the Hinduja Group, inaugurated a new dealership for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Ratnagiri. The company said the facility is its 16th LCV dealership in Maharashtra and is part of a distribution network that now covers more than 950 customer touchpoints across India.
The new dealership is operated by channel partner Lavekar Motors Pvt. Ltd. and is located near the Mahanagar CNG Pump in Ratnagiri. The 3S facility — covering sales, service and spares — includes eight quick service bays. Ashok Leyland currently sells five LCV product lines under the dealership: SAATHI, DOST, BADA DOST, PARTNER and MiTR.
Viplav Shah, Head of LCV Business at Ashok Leyland, said Maharashtra remains an important market for the company and that the new dealership reflects its ongoing efforts to expand its presence in the region. He said the company's products are positioned around mileage, reliability and performance, supported by its dealer network and service retention.
According to the company, more than 600,000 Ashok Leyland LCVs are currently in operation across India. The company recently entered the sub-2-tonne segment with the launch of the SAATHI, an entry-level small commercial vehicle powered by a 45 HP engine producing 110 Nm of torque. Ashok Leyland said the SAATHI offers the largest loading area and highest payload capacity, at 1,120 kg, in its segment.
The BADA DOST range, built on a separate LCV platform, is offered in seven variants — i2, i3+, i3+XL, i5, i5XL, i5+ and i6 — and uses an 80 HP BS6 engine. The company said the vehicle is designed for low turning radius and high ground clearance, making it suited for both intercity and intracity routes.
The DOST range includes the DOST XL and DOST+ XL variants. PARTNER, aimed at the 4-tonne payload segment, is available in four-tyre and six-tyre configurations with load body lengths of 10, 11, 14 and 17 feet, and uses a ZD30 CRDI engine. The MiTR, built on the same platform as PARTNER, is offered as both a staff bus and a school bus, with the school bus variant designed to meet applicable safety norms.
Ashok Leyland said all five LCV product lines are manufactured at its plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu.
The company describes its commercial vehicle network as one of the largest and fastest-growing in the segment, and said the new Ratnagiri dealership is part of its broader effort to expand customer reach and service infrastructure across Maharashtra.