Ashok Leyland, the flagship company of Hinduja Group in India, has rolled out Comet 1611, the first-ever medium duty vehicle in the Indian market, featuring a factory-built cab which, the company claims, offers 10% saving on fuel costs.Fitted with a four-cylinder engine, the truck with fully built body options is designed to meet the growing demand in rated payload segments such as containers, parcel, courier, white goods and tankers suitable for the emerging hub-and-spoke scenario in goods tranport across the country. Understanding the needs of the customer while ensuring its profitability makes a difference for the company in the face of growing competetion, Vinod K Dasari, COO of Ashok Leyland, said the launch of Comet fits the changing needs of the market. With Andhra Pradesh being the biggest market, the company has launched its new range in the state.While the company is investing about Rs 500 crore for capacity expansion in the existing manufacturing plant, it is proposing to set up new green field plants each with an investment of about Rs 1,500 crore. "We will be announcing the location and investment plans for our first plant in the next three months...several factors, including support being offered by state governments would be considered in finalising the location," Dasari said.
