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Aiming to make a significant headway in the fast growing intermediate commercial vehicle (ICV) segment, Hinduja group flagship Ashok Leyland today launched new vehicle 'BOSS' in Kerala.
Manufactured at the company's largest plant in Pantnagar in Uttarkhand, the vehicle is available in two variants.
Speaking to reporters after the launch, Rajive Saharia, Head-Trucks, Ashok Leyland, said with its European design cab and indigenous driveline, the BOSS offered "world class quality at Indian cost."
Due to the current slowdown, commercial vehicles sales had dipped by 35% this year. The total sales in the industry in 2013 September was 1,05,497 units against 1,41,072 in September 2012, he said.
The new vehicle was launched in Tamil Nadu last month and already 300 units have been sold. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the target segments after which it would be launched in Maharashtra and Gujarat and then Punjab and Haryana.
The company was hoping to do extremely well in Kerala judging from the response in Tamil Nadu, he said. "We should look at doubling our market share from 15%," he said.
Ashok Leyland has six manufacturing facilties with a total capaicty of 150,000 units. For BOSS trucks, which are being built at the Pantnagar plant, the capacity is 100 trucks per day.
On export plans for the new vehicle, he said they would first concentrate on the domestic market. However, they have plans to export it to not only SAARC countries, but also to Africa and South East Asia. Around 10-12% of their products are now exported.
The new vehicles are priced at Rs 10.5 lakh and Rs 12 lakh.
