Ashok Leyland Rolls Out New Truck Platform

The Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland, starts sale of vehicles on the new U-Truck platform with the rolling out of the first set of 10 models of tippers and tractor trailers in the 16 – 49 tonne segment. Starting with Chennai, the vehicles will be available for sale pan-India in a phased manner over the next 6 weeks. Further, another 15 models are set to enter the market in the next 12 months.
 
The U-Truck platform is backed by innovative service care packages, a number of which are industry ‘firsts’. Synchronized service intervals for tractors at every 40,000 kms, being offered for the first time in the commercial vehicle industry, enables the U-Truck to stay around 20% more time on the roads, the ideal way to derive the best from the vehicles. Setting a benchmark is the 4-year driveline warranty being offered on tractors whereas the warranty on tippers is for 2 years/5,000 hours/200,000 kms.
 
R. Seshasayee, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, said, “More significantly, this future-ready platform has the unique ability to continuously morph itself to meet ever-evolving consumer needs. After all, the ‘U’ in the ‘U-Truck’ stands for the customer and the platform is a sublimation of our insightful understanding of customers’ needs and their pain points. Hence, we have gone to great lengths to have a product with excellent fuel efficiency, superior driveability and higher reliability all leading to better operating economics”.
 
“The commercial vehicle driver community has for long been a neglected one and we are taking a number of significant steps to play a meaningful role in their lives not only through driver training but by introducing features that enhance driver comfort and safety,” said Vinod K. Dasari, Whole-time Director and Chief Operating Officer, Ashok Leyland. Some of these features are superior suspended long-haul sleeper cabs in tractors and day cabs in tippers having sleeper provision, better NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) characteristics, optional air-conditioning and music systems. Ride quality is further enhanced from a choice of parabolic front suspensions with longer span and up-rated multi-leaf front suspensions. Safety is taken care of through high performance braking systems with larger sized brakes, ABS and exhaust brakes in select models.

9