Basic HTML Version
MOTORINDIA
l
August 2012
21
Leyland is a highly established play-
er and its brand has special regard,
thanks to the performance of its
products, backed by excellent sales
and service support.
Mr. Samson, Sales Manager,
Rainbow Motors, says: “We did not
expect such great impact from the
DOST. We are very happy with the
performance of the DOST in terms
of drive, comfort, speed, pick-up
and many other factors. It is a tai-
lor-made vehicle for rural transport.
The customer response has been
very good and it is proof for the
success of the vehicle.” The DOST
offers good economic benefits such
as high load-carrying capacity, an
impressive mileage of 16.5 km/l de-
pending on the load, road conditions
and driving style. During long runs
in highways, the vehicle has even
clocked a fuel efficiency of 19 km/l.
Rainbow Motors has sold over
1,000 DOSTs till date while its or-
der book is quite heavy too. Out of
the first 1,000 vehicles sold, 228
were basic models, 628 with power
steering and the rest were high-end
versions with AC. The dealership
also has an excel-
lent service set-up
and service team,
servicing around
20 to 25 vehicles
per day, with cus-
tomer satisfaction
as its prime focus.
Customers ini-
tially come as visi-
tors to the dealer-
ship to take a look
at the vehicle, but
after
knowing
more about the
product and espe-
cially after taking
a test drive, most
visitors go ahead
and purchase it.
The outlet has had some interesting
customer feedbacks which are proof
of the DOST’s huge success.
One of the customers who trans-
ports goat and cattle from Salem
to Goa bought eight DOSTs and is
currently saving close to Rs. 12,000
per trip. Another customer who sells
flowers for a living makes a mini-
mum profit of Rs. 3,000 per day,
thanks to his decision of buying the
DOST. ‘A friend in need is a friend
indeed’. For such customers, the
Ashok Leyland DOST is a real
dost
(friend) for life.
w
Mr. D.K. Samson, Sales Manager, (left), and Mr. P.M. Krishnamoorthy, General Manager, Rain-
bow Motors Commercial Division
MI: Despite the current industry slowdown, the LCV segment is expected to remain strong. What are
your views on this? And how do you see DOST and the LCV segment as a whole performing in the next
few months?
NS:
The growth in the LCV segment has been driven by the increasing need for last-mile deliveries due to the
hub-and-spoke model rapidly gaining ground, rising consumerism and greater organized retail activity. Pres-
ently, while depressed sentiments are being a dampener for large capital investments, the LCV segment and more
so, the SCV (Small Commercial Vehicle) segment that accounts for over 75 per cent of the LCV market, have
remained unscathed and have continued to post robust growth. We expect the trend to continue going forward.
vehicle zone (cover story)