Indian commercial vehicles manufacturer, Ashok Leyland is pinning hopes on the newly launched Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV), Stile to further increase its market share. Reportedly, the company is aiming to achieve a sales target of 1000 units of newly launched Stile till the end of ongoing financial year. Interestingly, the MPV from Ashok Leyland was recently launched in major cities of the country and has received a good response till now.
According to Naga Senthil Prabhu (Regional Manager-South for LCV business), owing to the fuel efficiency of 20.7 kmpl, Stile has done well till now. He further said "Enquiries and bookings for the vehicle are very good and the company will sell at least 1000 vehicle before this financial year." Prabhu further stressed that the MPV segment registered a growth of 40 per cent in the previous fiscal and now the situation has weakened. He added that the company has tapped the potential of this segment and there is more space for new models to enter. It is expected that the market share will rise in the next fiscal. Along with, the auto maker is planning to focus on tourist and maxi cab segments.
The latest offering of Ashok Leyland is manufactured at the Oragadam facility of Nissan-Renault in which around 20000 to 30000 units can be produced annually. Launched in three variants, Stile is offered between a price range of Rs. 7.4 lakh to Rs. 9.35 lakh. Commenting on the need of making more vehicles, Prabhu later added "If the company feels the pressure on production schedule, it will think of starting a new plant. However there is no immediate possibility to start a new plant." As told, Ashok Leyland is planning to expand its dealer network to 200 from present 130 by the end of this fiscal.
On the technical grounds, Ashok Leyland Stile comes equipped with a 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine; the same unit that performs well duty on Nissan Evalia. The power generated from this engine equals to 73 bhp alongside the maximum torque of 185 Nm. It is offered in three variants, namely LE, LS and LX, and 5 colour options – white, silver, grey, red, and black. Talking about features, Stile is offered with dual air conditioning system that is coupled with rear vents, besides the glove box, bucket seats and rear window.
With the launch of Stile, the company is targeting 5000 taxi unions and numerous fleet operators of the country. Commenting on this, Nitin Seth, Executive Director of Light Commercial Vehicles and Defence Business was quoted as saying, “With fuel prices rising, a taxi guy's fare is not going up. With a more fuel efficient vehicle, he can earn more. From his passenger's perspective, the ingress and egress is comfortable due to monocoque architecture, and the rear window, dual AC and bigger wheels offer a more comfortable ride."
