Chennai, May 14th, 2012:

• Records highest export sales 

Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group flagship, has registered a sales turnover of Rs. 12,841.99 crores during 2011-12 compared to Rs. 11,177.11 crores in the previous fiscal reflecting a rise of 14.9%. Net Profit, however, was down by 10.3% at Rs. 565.98 crores (Rs. 631.30 crores).

The highlights of the Company’s performance during the year were: the achievement of the highest overall sales volume of 101,990 vehicles; achievement of a new high in International Operations of 12,852 numbers – a rise of 25%;   and the instant success of the new entry into the LCV segment - DOST in the six markets it was launched.   The DOST was awarded the 2012 Apollo-CV LCV ‘Cargo Carrier of the Year’ last month.  Production also touched an all-time high of 103,319 vehicles.

“FY 2011-12 for us saw quite a few triumphs. Our sales and production numbers reached all-time highs, the initial market feedback for DOST was overwhelming, we climbed a new peak in International Operations both in terms of volumes and new markets tapped, our ramp up of the Pantnagar plant was robust and complete and, to top it all, we were able to sharpen our focus on our customers by significantly increasing our network,” said Mr. Vinod K. Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland.     

The Company’s efforts to protect their bottom line through focus on non-cyclical or support businesses yielded rich dividends with Leyparts, the spare parts business, growing aggressively by 20% and both the Defence and Power Solutions businesses able to hold their own.

On the domestic front, Mr. Dasari felt that more could have been achieved. Although the Company gained precious market share in the Central region for the first time and in the Tipper and ICV segments, growth in other segments was muted. “We were hit from many sides: our strongest market - South - was depressed. Also, segments like ICV in which we are not too strong grew substantially. We have, however, rebounded. We gained Market Share in March ’12 and continued the good showing in April and hope to keep up this momentum,” he added.

About prospects for FY 2012-13, Mr. Dasari said, “We feel the full year volumes would grow as there are signs of robust growth in some segments. We also have a number of innovative products ready to roll out like the Jan Bus and the 10x2 and with a new thrust to our brand building efforts with our new Brand Ambassador, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the coming year should be an interesting one for us,” he concluded. 

Jaipur (Rajasthan), April 28, 2012:

• Four new dealerships inaugurated; two more on the anvil

Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group flagship, today commercially launched its first LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) – DOST in Rajasthan with the inauguration of four new dealership outlets in the State. All these dealership outlets - Rajesh Motors Pinkcity (Jaipur), Chandra Autowheels (Udaipur), Shree Vinayak Automotive (Ajmer) and Rajesh Motors Pinkcity (Kota) - are 3S (Sales, Service and Spares) facilities, equipped with modern tools and infrastructure.

DOST, marked the Company’s entry into the robustly growing LCV market in joint venture with Nissan Motor Company. With a payload capacity of 1.25T, DOST enters the Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV) market (below 3.5T) which is witnessing a perceptible upward shift in terms of features, performance and payload. It will be available in three versions with the top-end version featuring air-conditioning, power steering, dual-colour beige-gray trim and fabric seats. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art 55 hp, 3 cylinder 1.5 litre common rail TDCR engine that is tuned for fuel economy as well as the driveability and gradeability, required for Indian roads thanks to substantial torque of 150Nm. The customer will have a palette of three colours to choose from: white, beige and blue. As another ‘first’ in the LCV industry, Ashok Leyland will offer Ready-to-Use Vehicles (RUVs) on the DOST platform for various applications such as Refrigerated containers, Steel containers, Ambulance, Aluminum Fixed Side Decks and Service-At-Site vehicles from the date of launch. Dost is well suited for both intercity and intra-city goods transportation, it offers higher productivity at an extremely competitive cost of ownership

DOST is being sold through a modern dealership network with brand new infrastructure which, with the launch of these 4 dealerships in Rajasthan, touches 32. Two more new dealerships are planned at Jodhpur and Bikaner in next 3 to 4 months.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. V. Sumantran, Executive Vice Chairman, Hinduja Automotive and Chairman, Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain Ltd., said, “After the overwhelming response that DOST has been receiving from the six markets that it has been launched in, entering Rajasthan was a very much a natural extension. DOST offers an unbeatable value proposition to our customers thanks to its higher payload, enhanced power and greater versatility and along with our dedicated channel partners, we are confident of repeating its success story in this new market as well.”

Dr. Sumantran further elaborated that Ashok Leyland sold 7593 units of DOST since launch and has a very healthy order position. The production on the brand new lines at the Company’s Hosur facility is being progressively ramped up to meet the increasing demand. In March 2012, the sales touched 2211 units.  

DOST will be available at a competitive price of Rs. 4.19 Lakhs (ex-showroom Jaipur) and Rs. 4.21 Lakhs (ex-showroom Udaipur, Ajmer and Kota). 

March 29^th, 2012. New Delhi:

• Strategic partnerships with global leaders to expand product range

Ashok Leyland Defence Systems, a joint venture Company, engaged in the manufacture of specialized tactical and armoured vehicles, today unveiled the first of the range of COLT tactical vehicles - the Light Tactical Vehicle (4x4).

The Light Tactical Vehicle is being developed through the Company’s strategic partnership with Panhard General Defense, France. In addition, a new range of product concepts and systems developed with Krauss Maffei Wegmann Gmbh (KMW), Germany, were also unveiled.

“India’s Defence sector is seeking greater participation from the private sector to shore up the nation’s defenses and Ashok Leyland Defence stands poised to leverage technologies and partnerships to provide tactical and armoured solutions to address our country’s defense requirements,” said Dr. V. Sumantran, Chairman, Ashok Leyland Defence Systems. “Our product range will offer state-of-the-art performance while achieving high levels of local content and cost competitiveness. Today, we are proud to unveil the COLT 4x4 Light Tactical Vehicle which offers superior protection, improved agility and enhanced performance, typical of our new range of vehicles,” he added. 

COLT Light Tactical Vehicle (4x4)

The COLT Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV), jointly developed by Ashok Leyland Defence and Panhard General Defense, has excellent mobility owing to a power to weight ratio of over 34 horsepower per tonne. It is equipped with a high performance chassis, a unique suspension system and an innovative patented armoured hull. Essentially designed to carry out protected tactical liaison missions, the LTV can fill a large array of roles such as escort, patrol and command vehicles. The product is battle-proven and over 2,000 are deployed across 15 countries.

Product portfolio

Ashok Leyland Defence is also engaged in developing range of armoured vehicles with military payloads ranging from 1.5 to 16 tonnes, on the COLT, STALLION and SUPER STALLION platforms that will address requirements for Light Specialist Vehicles (LSV), Light Bullet Proof Vehicle (LBPV), Light Artillery Machines (LAM), Mine Protected Vehicles (MPV), Field Artillery Tractors, Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers (MBRLs) and other special applications. Ashok Leyland Defence offers unique capabilities in bringing state-of-the-art equipment to India with high local content and customized to suit specific needs of India’s defence forces.

Winning partnerships

Panhard General Defense are pioneers in the design and development of armoured vehicles and known for their VBL (Véhicule Blindé Léger) or Light Armoured Vehicles with 1,600 to the French Army alone. They also make the PVP (Petit Vehicule Protégé) of which more than 750 are in service. Ashok Leyland Defence and Panhard have laid out a plan to address India’s evolving needs for light tactical vehicles.

Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) GmbH and Co KG, Germany:  KMW, one of Europe’s most sophisticated defence contractors and Ashok Leyland Defence are to jointly develop advanced systems for the Indian Defence establishment as well as other Defence forces worldwide. This strategic partnership combines the technological bandwidth of KMW with the innovation of Ashok Leyland Defence, aimed at deriving cost advantages and expand product opportunities for Ashok Leyland Defence. KMW has a rich, 170-year history and are market leaders in the highly protected armoured wheeled and tracked vehicles. The armed forces of over 30 nations rely on their systems such as the MBT LEOPARD 2, the artillery system PzH 2000 and the armoured wheeled vehicle - DINGO 2. 

New Delhi, January 6th, 2012: Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group flagship, today introduced India’s first 37-tonne haulage truck with the highest payload of up to 27  tonnes. Built on the contemporary and future-ready U-Truck platform, the U-3723 H guarantees superior performance, durability and best-in-class operational efficiency.

One outstanding feature of the U-3723 H is its five axles - twin steerable front axles, two rear axles and a self-steerable pusher lift axle at the middle that enables the vehicle to carry more loads, far more efficiently. The auto-lift axle senses when the vehicle is running in an unloaded condition and will automatically lift the axle which translates into additional fuel saving. Engineered to deliver a faster turnaround and better gradeability, the U-3723 H is equipped with the fuel-efficient 225 HP ‘H’ Series engine and a 9-speed gearbox. Further, the 10x4 configuration makes for excellent maneuverability even in arduous operating conditions.

At the launch, Mr Vinod K Dasari, Managing Director, Ashok Leyland, said, “The U-3723 H is truly the most efficient truck in the country and carefully engineered to meet certain specific customer requirements. With a more stringent implementation of rated payload on one hand and the availability of higher loads on the other, customers have been increasingly seeking higher capacity rigid trucks that can carry more loads translating into better operational economics. Market trends are clearly skewed towards the 31+Tonne category and thus our U-3723 H is perfectly positioned to meet the demands for higher payload capacity, faster turnaround time and better maneuverability.”   

The feature-rich sleeper cab is designed to address driver comfort and safety especially during long distance freight operations. Other features include an optional AC and parabolic suspensions with shock absorbers.

Fuel efficiency is further enhanced by the aero-dynamic cab and lower unladen weight. An optimized drive train and 11R20 tyres deliver improved driveability and effortless maneuverability. The deep section frames with bogie suspensions ensure better vehicle stability even at higher loads. A long loading span of 31 feet can easily take loads of any density and dimension. Strong aggregates, a robust chassis frame and suspensions reduce down-time considerably.

The U-3723 H is best-suited for such applications like construction, Ready Mix Concrete, boom pumps and stone marble.

About the Hinduja Group

Hinduja Group is an investment and banking group with a diversified global portfolio of holdings across the manufacturing services and banking sectors. The Group, founded by Shri P.D. Hinduja in 1914 has activities across three core areas: Investment Banking, International Trading and Global Investments. It also supports charitable and philanthropic activities across the world through the Hinduja Foundation. As part of its Global investments, the Group owns businesses in Automotive, Information Technology, Media, Entertainment & Communications, Banking & Finance, Infrastructure Project Development, Chemicals & Agri business, Energy, Real Estate, Trading and Healthcare. www.hindujagroup.com.

About Ashok Leyland

Ashok Leyland is the flagship of the Hinduja Group and a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India with 2010-11 turnover of US $ 2.5 billion. With seven manufacturing locations at Chennai, Hosur (three plants), Alwar, Bhandara and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand), the Company has a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles. Ashok Leyland has associate companies in the Czech Republic and the UAE and a joint venture in Sri Lanka, besides exports to over 30 countries worldwide. www.ashokleyland.com.