Chennai, Sep 14 (UN) CV major Ashok Leyland on Monday

expanded its LCV portfolio with the launch of 'Bada Dost',

reinforcing its offering in the LCV range.

With this launch, the company increases its addressable

domestic LCV market.

Talking to reporters in a virtual conference, Company

Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja said Bada Dost builds on

the strong foundation laid by the DOST brand, which

was known for reliability, mileage and comfort.

It features customer-centric offerings on technology

and driver comfort, while being contemporary and

futuristic.

He said equipped with the latest BS-VI engine, it has

two variants, i4 and i3, with a best-in-class payload

capacity of 1,860 kg and 1,405 kg, respectively.

Bada Dost is being launched initially in 7 states and

will gradually be available pan-India over the next

three months and was open for bookings and delivery

through both, physical and digital platforms.

The ex-showroom prices (Mumbai) is Rs 7.75 lakhs and

Rs 7.95 lakh (i3 LS and LX), Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 7.99

lakh (i4 LS and LX).

Mr Dheeraj said “Today marks a milestone for us as we

move towards our vision of being amongst the top 10

Global CV Makers.'

'The new in-house developed platform is a key part

of our long term LCV strategy aimed at positioning

AL as a serious and significant player in the segment.

He said Bada Dost i3 and i4, the first two vehicles

being launched on this new platform, along with other

current offerings, close the gap in our LCV product

portfolio.

'Our range will now be available in both right-hand

drive and left-hand drive options, enabling us to

look at international markets more aggressively',

he said, adding, plans were also on for introduction

of electric versions in due course.

Company COO Nitin Seth said “Our DOST LCVs are

some of the most successful vehicles in their respective

segments. Since the launch of first DOST in 2011-12,

we continued to win market share, despite a lean

portfolio.'

Terming the launch of Bada Dost as the right product

at the right time and one which will take the legacy

of DOST brand to greater heights, he said it would

be built at company's newly installed, state-of-the-art,

first fully robotic cubing line at Hosur.

Company MD and CEO Vipin Sondhi said “LCV segment

holds huge potential for us. The recovery of the CV industry

is being led by this segment in the current market.'

'With Bada Dost, we will now address an important

part of this market which has tremendous promise.

LCVs is one of our growth businesses accounting

for about 40 per cent of our sales volume in FY20,

it continues to grow this year as well', he said.

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