Ashok Leyland expects to boost market share in ICV segment

Ashok Leyland said it was looking to increase its market share in the intermediate commercial vehicle segment similar to the levels it has in medium and commercial vehicle, a company official said

Commercial vehicle major Ashok

Leyland on Thursday said it was looking to increase its market share in the intermediate commercial vehicle segment similar to the levels it has in medium and commercial vehicle nationally, a top company official said.

The city-based company on Thursday unveiled BS-VI compliant Boss LE and LX trucks with prices starting at Rs 18 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

These two vehicles will address the 11.1 tonne to 14.05- tonne gross vehicle weight (GVW) market need, Ashok Leyland said.

"We are around upwards of 20 per cent in the market share in ICV and for all other segments put together in the medium and heavy commercial segments (including ICVs) we are in the range of upwards of 30 per cent", Ashok Leyland, COO, Anuj Kathuria said.

"Therefore, nationally, we would like to get our ICV market share also at similar levels," he told reporters.

With the launch of Boss range of vehicles, he said the company would have a complete portfolio covering most of the applications.

"In terms of monthly volume, the number of ICVs that are being sold on a monthly basis is somewhere between 3,500 to 4000 vehicles. This is something we are seeing an improvement month after month," he said.

The company would look at serving various segments including agri-perishable, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, white goods, poultry (transportation) which is very popular in some of the southern parts of the country, he said.

To a query, he said the company was also witnessing 'good recovery' in segments like construction and mining, road construction, mining, iron ore, coal.

"With the festive season ahead of us there will be definitely a faster recovery in these segments..," he said.

The vehicles introduced today are being produced at the company's Ennore facility (Tamil Nadu) to serve the southern market and also at Pant Nagar (Uttarakhand) to serve Northern markets, he said.

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, a company statement 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," Ashok Leyland MD Vipin Sondhi said.

With this launch in the Boss range, the company's ICV offering is now one of the best in the market, he claimed.

"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," Sondhi said.

Customers can choose from two cabin options and expect multiple improvements over BS-IV technology like up to 7 per cent higher fluid efficiency, up to 5 per cent higher tyre life, up to 30 per cent longer service intervals and up to 5 per cent lower maintenance cost, Ashok Leyland said.

Boss ICVs will be available as a fully-built option with ergonomic and safety features for the driver.

It comes bundled with digital solutions like i-Alert, and remote diagnostics.