Ever seen the ultra familiar Indian truck that moves on almost any Indian road and carries amazing tons of material and Cargo owing to its sturdy construction. If yes, there is every possibility that you would have seen an Ashok Leyland truck.
There are claims that Indian railways is the lifeline of India as it carries
a very large number of passengers in a day. But, statistics are a little more defining. In 2008, the transportation vehicles of Ashok leyland carried more than 60 million passengers surpassing the Indian railways record.
With the automotive industry in the doldrums since the last 2 years and Western governments subsidizing every vehicle to save bankrupt vehicle manufactureres during recession, Ashok leyland has a different story to tell.Last year it posted amazing profits when recession was at its peak.
Achievements:
Now judged as one of the SUPER BRAND of India, Ashok leyland has achieved various milestones on its way to supremacy.In 1997,it pioneered the first CNG(Compressed natural gas)powered bus.In 2002, it developed the first hybrid electric bus.It is also the chief supplier to the Indian Army to provide rough and sturdy vehicles .Ashok leyland also won the Employer of choice award in the manufacturing sector instituted by CNBC-TV18.In the bus segment, Ashok leyland has maintained its pole position of 46% market share even after heavyweights such as VOLVO and other manufacturers penetrated the Indian commercial vehicle market.Truly the King of Indian
commercial vehicles.
The Genesis and History:
Started with the inspiration of Jawaharlal Nehru’s persuasion of self
reliance ,Raghunandan Saran set up Ashok motors in 1948.THe British Leyland later acquired a stake and the name of the company changed to Ashok Leyland.In 1955, the first commercial vehicle rolled out .In 1987, the company was acquired by the multimillion Hinduja group that now holds the majority stake in the company.
By producing the best in class vehicles for Indian transport, Ashok leyland has live upto its expectation of becoming the true lifeline of Indian transport.