Leyland to roll out 20 new CV models

Ashok Leyland would be launching 20 new models, including variants, of commercial vehicles in the passenger and goods segments during the current financial year.

Ruling out the possibility of entering the mini-truck segment, managing director R Seshasayee said new products would be mostly in the medium and heavy commercial vehicle and light vehicle segments.

Commercial vehicles market leader Tata Motors had recently launched the 700cc mini truck Tata Ace with maximum gross carrying capacity of 1.5 tonne. "We will not be entering this market," Seshasayee said.

Seshasayee was speaking at the sidelines of the inauguration of the company's second drivers' training institute in the country in Delhi. The company first drivers' training school is at Namakkal in Tamil Nadu. Company officials said around Rs 4 crore has been invested in the second institute located at Burari, New Delhi.

The company had recently signed a pact with the Punjab government to set up a greenfield unit in the state to manufacturer trucks for defence applications.

In its attempt to improve its markets in the light commercial vehicles segment, Ashok Leyland will also be lining up some new products.

According to monthly data provided by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, in the LCV (goods) segment, which grew by 25 per cent to close to one lakh units in 2004-05, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors and Eicher hold close to 92 per cent aggregate market share. Tata Motors alone holds close to 51 per cent share of the market.

Currently, the Leyland is the largest supplier of defence support vehicles to the armed forces. A note from the company said, "We are now aggressively looking at marketing our defence vehicles overseas, particularly the Middle East and North Africa where we already have a significant presence with commercial vehicles."