Ashok Leyland, of Hinduja Group recently tipped-off to offer variety to its light commercial vehicle Dost which was unveiled at the beginning of September, with its firm plans of bringing out a passenger version of the LCV for the Indian car market. A celebrated name in the auto sector, Ashok Leyland is not so inclined to the thought of entering the passenger cars market in India. However, the truck maker is definitely looking to produce an SUV variant of the Dost in a segment that has proximity to passenger cars.
V. Sumantran, Executive Vice Chairman of Hinduja Automotive Ltd said that the company is giving best efforts to the launch of a 7 to 8 seater SUV version of Dost. The company is currently working on its design and is expected to roll-out the SUV variant of the Dost LCV soon.
Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland, in a joint venture with the Japanese auto major Nissan, entered the light commercial vehicle segment with its Dost. The light vehicle has a payload capacity of 1.25 tonnes and is available at a price tag of around Rs. 3.79 lacs for the base variant and Rs. 4.39 lacs for the top variant. Its top line version, being the most luxurious, possesses an AC, power steering and fabric covered seating among some other special features.
Thus, India is expecting growth in both light commercial vehicles segment as well as passenger car segment, with car makers aiming to strike a balance between different segments they work upon, in the auto market.
