Leyland to launch luxury bus Luxura in Q2FY07

Ashok Leyland is planning to enter the luxury bus market with the launch of Intercentury Luxura by the second quarter of the next fiscal.

B Khaitan, special director (vehicle sales) of Ashok Leyland, said: "The plan is to launch the Luxura starting from the south by the second quarter of the next fiscal. While the metros will be the preference markets, we have also identified places like Pune."

He added that Luxura would be competitively priced at around Rs 50 lakh, and be in direct competition to the buses from Volvo. "While the prices of our offerings would be variable depending on the variants, we expect the price to be around Rs 50 lakh which is competitive enough," Khaitan said.

The 12-metre long Luxura has a seating capacity of 45 (with 36 being optional), and boasts of some of the latest features that comply with the European safety norms, he added.

Ashok Leyland will also be showcasing its concept heavy commercial vehicle Newgen Aero at the Auto Expo in New Delhi.