‘Switch Mobility will be launching industry’s first e-LCV in six months time’
‘Switch Mobility will be launching industry’s first e-LCV in six months time’
Commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland Ltd. (ALL) is working towards introducing the whole range of alternate fuel products in 18 to 24 months, said Dheeraj Hinduja, executive chairman.
“We are working on alternate fuels and the products (LNG, CNG, hydrogen and electric through our subsidiary Switch) will be out in 18 -24 months,” he told reporters after unveiling i1 and i2 and limited edition models of Bada Dost range of vehicles.
“As the rise in fuel prices dictate many things, we will deliver what the customer needs in the space of alternate fuel,” he said adding that after the recent launch of electric double-decker bus in Mumbai, a lot of States have keen evinced interest.
Asserting that the light commercial vehicles (LCVs) segment is set to grow by 8-10%, he said: “Today, our LCV range covers 58% of the market. Going forward, our endeavour is to cover all segments of CVs and relevant applications.”
“LCV is a key growth area for ALL and the Bada Dost range would play a pivotal role in expanding our domestic as well as international sales and propel us in our journey to achieve our vision of being a global top 10 commercial vehicle manufacturer,” Mr. Hinduja said.
He also said that the industry was seeing a shift to electric. Switch Mobility will be launching industry’s first e-LCV in six months time and hinted that they would also foray into (LCV) sub-2 tonnes category.
On Monday, ALL rolled out Bada Dost i1 and Bada Dost i2 and Bada Dost limited edition with industry first features in a commercial vehicle. The Bada Dost i1 and i2 offer a payload of 1,250 kg and 1,425 kg respectively.
“These new products will expand our offerings and cover a wider range of payload capacity and applications, thereby strengthening our LCV portfolio. Our aim is to continue to aggressively gain market share in the LCV segment,” said Rajat Gupta, head – LCV.
On capacity utilisation, he said it was operating at 80-85% and announced the launch of Dost’s CNG variant soon and more products in the forthcoming auto show.
