Ashok Leyland gets BS-VI certification for all heavy duty trucks
04 Sep 2019
Ashok Leyland, flagship of the Hinduja Group, and one of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in India, has become the first Indian commercial vehicle maker to meet BS-VI emission norms across the full range of heavy duty trucks (GVW of 16.2T and above).
Ashok Leyland said its entire heavy truck range is BS VI-ready, but the company is not in a position to roll out and sell such vehicles due to non-availability of BS VI-fuel.
The company received the compliance certificates from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) on 29 August 2019. N Saravanan, chief technology officer, Ashok Leyland, received the certificates, confirming compliance to BS-VI emission standard.
ARAI is the leading automotive R&D organisation in the country set up by the Automotive Industry jointly with the Government of India. It is an autonomous body affiliated to the ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises, Government of India, which offers comprehensive certification and homologation services for all kinds of vehicles.
“Ashok Leyland has always been a pioneer in the introduction of new technology in the commercial vehicle industry and this achievement of meeting the BS-VI emission standard across our heavy vehicle range further reinforces our position as technology leader, Dheeraj Hinduja, chairman, Ashok Leyland, said,
“Despite the short transition timeframe from BS IV to BS VI, we have done extensive testing and with a further 7 months to go, we are confident that our indigenous development will provide a superior and competitive solution addressing the needs of our customers. We are deeply committed to indigenous research and development addressing market needs with a relevant and customized approach,” he added.
Ashok Leyland proposes compliance in the LCV and ICV range to be completed shortly and offer a comprehensive range from 70 hp to 360 hp in BS VI application.
“Technology and its intelligent use has been our forte. Whether it was the use of mechanical pump for BS-III or iEGR technology for BS-IV, we have strived to simplify the technology for our customers to deliver value throughout the product lifecycle. With our BS-VI range, we will continue to deliver on this promise of reliability and ease of operations, N Saravanan, chief technology officer, Ashok Leyland, said.
“Additionally, we have developed an entire new modular vehicle platform for this range and are confident of meeting the increasingly dynamic customer requirements, with multiple options of Loading Spans, Cabins, Suspensions, and, Drivetrains. These combinations would be offered to the customers through a custom built product configurator,” he added.
“If fuel was available, we would have started selling these ranges. The fuel should be available across the country, can’t be in one or two cities,” he said.
However, Ashok Leyland is looking at putting these trucks in some select regions like NCR-Rajasthan where the BS VI-fuel is available. Saravanan said the company had spent ?600-700 crore in the last 3-4 years on BS-VI technologies and associated areas. The new BS-VI trucks are being built on a new modular platform. It will offer such trucks in four engine options.