 Ashok Leyland and Nissan Motor Company recently announced a joint venture to manufacture and sell a new range of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in India. The LCV range will feature three new vehicles, of which two will be manufactured and launched at Ashok Leyland’s facility in Hosur, while the third model will be manufactured at Nissan’s facility at Oragadam in Chennai. The companies decided on the JV to cash on the evident opportunities in the country’s LCV market. The range, to be introduced by mid-2011, will blend Ashok Leyland’s experience with the Indian consumer with the quality and engineering attributes provided by Nissan.The prime offering will be a contemporary, feature-rich F24 platform that will showcase trucks and buses in the 5–7.5 tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) range. These LCVs will be powered by an efficient, 3-litre capacity, 4-cylinder common rail diesel engine which will be compliant with Bharat Stage (BS) III and BS IV standards. As of now, both companies have shown confidence about successfully executing the second phase of production and completing the first phase by mid-2011. The JV partners have decided to bring the vehicle range to the Indian markets through their respective dealer networks. |
