New Delhi: Hinduja flagship company Ashok Leyland Tuesday said it will launch the Avia range of trucks in India by July as it prepares to introduce a range of new products, hoping for a revival of market in the second half of next fiscal.
"We have a few new products lined up for this year. Our Avia range of truck will be launched by July this year," Ashok Leyland Managing Director Vinod K Dasari told reporters here.
He said the Avia trucks will be rolled out from the company's manufacturing plant at Pant Nagar in Uttarakhand.
In 2006, Ashok Leyland had acquired the Avia Truck Business Unit, a leading vehicle manufacturer in Europe, at an estimated cost of around USD 35 million and helped it expand in global markets, and also improve product portfolio. It was later rechristened as AVIA Ashok Leyland Motors and at present it produces a class of trucks with gross vehicle weights of 6.5 to 12 tonne.
On the other commercial vehicles lined up for launch this year, Dasari said by July-October this year Ashok Leyland will launch a series of heavy commercial vehicles - tippers and tractor trailers - equipped with a "brand new cab".
When asked about the market conditions, he said: "It continues to be down and the situation is likely to continue till the first half of next fiscal. It may pick up in the second half but it is too early to say anything now."
On the sales front he said the company's "sales have gone down but has been able to gain market share despite that".
In January, the company's sales were down 25 percent to 6,863 units as compared to 9,200 units in the same month last year. For the April-January period this fiscal, its sales were down by 14 percent to 62,955 units as against 72,821 units in the year-ago period.
Dasari also said the company, which had resorted to five-day week at its factories in the wake of demand slump in the CV segment, has returned to six-day week and will continue to do so to meet export orders.
"We expect to have six-day week for the whole of March and return to five-day week from April for another two-three months," he said.
The company Tuesday showcased 'The Ashok Leyland Luxura Magical India Bus', built on its Luxura platform and designed by auto designer Dilip Chabbria. The luxury charter bus, which has been modelled on the lines of a private jet, will be used to support NGO Goonj and The Cancer Institute with at least 50 percent of the fees going to the charity partners.
PTI
