Ashok Leyland-Nissan unveil 1.25-tonne goods carrier
March 29th, 2011 - 6:01 pm ICT by IANSChennai, March 29 (IANS) The Hinduja Group’s Ashok Leyland and the Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Company Tuesday unveiled their joint venture’s 1.25-tonne light commercial vehicle (LCV) Dost.
The joint venture plans to roll out a broad range of trucks and passenger vehicles from a greenfield plant three years later, a top company official said here.
Truck major Ashok Leyland and Nissan Motor have a 51:49 manufacturing joint venture - Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles - to produce LCVs.
Owing to delays in getting land allotment, the joint venture partners decided to roll out vehicles from their own plants initially.
“The land has been allotted by the Tamil Nadu government a couple of months ago. We will start production from the greenfield plant in the second phase, which will be after three years from now,” V. Sumantran, executive vice chairman of Hinduja Automotive and chairman of Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain, told reporters after unveiling Dost.
According to him both the partners of the joint venture have invested around Rs.650 crore each in the venture.
Sumantran said Dost will be rolled out by Ashok Leyland from its Hosur plant and will be retailed by a new set of dealers to be appointed by the truck maker.
According to him, the second product of the joint venture will be launched by Nissan from its car plant near here.
“Between 2011 and 2013 three vehicles will be launched and exports will begin in 2012. The company will produce components for other manufacturing sites,” Andy Palmer, senior vice president of Nissan Motor Company and chairman of Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles said.
During the first three years, Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles will be launching around 150,000 units to be split equally between the two promoters.
The officials did not divulge the retail price of Dost.
“The sub-3.5-tonne cargo vehicles log annual sales of around 280,000 units and is growing annually at 25 percent. The expectations of the customers have changed,” Sumantran said.
Ashok Leyland will appoint 25 dealers to sell the LCVs, who in turn can have several sub-dealers, he said.
He said the engine for the LCV was designed and developed by Ashok Leyland while Nissan provided inputs on the body design.
According to Palmer, the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan has not impacted Nissan’s joint venture with Ashok Leyland.
- Ashok Leyland Nissan rolls out Dost light commercial vehicle - Jul 22, 2011
- Ashok Leyland Nissan to roll out LCVs in mid-2011 - Jun 01, 2010
- Ashok Leyland prices Dost LCV at Rs.379,000 - Sep 13, 2011
- Nitin Seth is Ashok Leyland's executive director - Dec 14, 2010
- Ashok Leyland-Nissan joint venture to roll out light trucks by 2011 - Jun 02, 2010
- Ashok Leyland may get into car manufacturing with Nissan - Mar 04, 2010
- Ashok Leyland net in 2011-12 down by 10 percent - May 14, 2012
- Nissan to export 20 percent of mini-vans made in India - Jul 31, 2011
- Leyland-Deere to enter wheel-loader segment in 2013 - Nov 22, 2011
- Ashok Leyland to go slow on raising debt - Nov 11, 2010
- Ashok Leyland-Nissan JV to roll out LCVs in 2011 - Apr 29, 2010
- Ashok Leyland takes 26 percent stake in British Optare - Jul 29, 2010
- Ashok Leyland to invest Rs.2000 crore over two years - Jul 27, 2010
- Ashok Leyland-Nissan truck to hit the road mid-2010 - Aug 28, 2009
- Ashok Leyland to use Nissan-Renault's Chennai facility - May 15, 2009
Tags: ashok leyland, car plant, cargo vehicles, executive vice, greenfield, hinduja group, japanese auto, joint venture partners, land allotment, lcv, nissan motor, nissan motor company, nissan vehicles, passenger vehicles, powertrain, promoters, second phase, senior vice president, tamil nadu government, vice chairman