Ashok Leyland, the flagship of the Hinduja Group, has just launched two new LCVs – the PARTNER truck, India’s first air-conditioned LCV, and the MiTR bus, an LCV bus with best-in-class comfort. After the successful introduction of the DOST and the recently launched STiLE, now the PARTNER and the MiTR are the latest offerings from the Ashok Leyland-Nissan joint venture.
In a casual discussion with R. Natarajan, Managing Editor & Publisher, MOTORINDIA, on the eve of the launch of the new models, Dr. V. Sumantran, Vice Chairman, Ashok Leyland, spoke in detail about the company’s complete range of vehicles.
He said: “In the LCV segment, after the successful launch of the DOST, we are now launching the PARTNER and MiTR. With this launch, we have the full line-up of products from Ashok Leyland in the LCV segment. Our products like the DOST, STiLE, PARTNER, MiTR, BOSS and the Captain range from 3.5 tonnes to 25 tonnes, all built on modern and contemporary vehicle platforms.”
According to him, the two new-generation vehicles offer best-in-class fuel efficiency, performance and comfort. The PARTNER is sold in a different version by Nissan in Japan, Europe, Russia, China and in Latin America. The engine has been completely revamped for the Indian market, to bring in more torque at low rpm, so that drivability is improved. It has a tremendous amount of torque advantage even at 1000 rpm.
Dr. Sumantran further disclosed that the company has tailor-made this product to suit Indian road conditions and also to obtain fuel efficiency. This next-generation truck also focuses on driver comfort and sports a modern Euro cab with spacious car-like interiors and offers global levels of performance and efficiency.
The DOST was clearly superior on fuel efficiency to any other vehicle. The STiLE was the only product which crossed the 20 km per litre according to ARAI, keeping in mind the poor road condition in India.
“The MiTR, a 26+1+1 seater bus, is almost European in its outlook. With better ride quality, fuel efficiency and comfort, the bus can be used by BPOs and call centres as well as for staff transport and as a school bus. We have plans to come up with a broader range in the bus segment”, added Dr. Sumantran.