Ashok Leyland builds a platform to let buyers configure vehicles

Professional auto main Ashok Leyland has invested Rs 500 crore to develop a system that permits prospects to configure vehicles based on their economical and organization wants.

Acknowledged as “modular” system targeted for medium and heavy vehicles, the corporation expects that it will convey down its operational price tag dramatically and result in boost in earnings.

The professional auto industry is in the doldrums facing lowering product sales for extra than 1 and half yr. The problem is unlikely to strengthen shortly as India’s economic action is still to select up owing to considerably less organization action and purchaser investing.

According to Ashok Leyland Main Running Officer Anuj Kathuria, the new system will take away complexities from functions of the corporation and will assist offer you price tag-powerful merchandise for the prospects.

“The modular assortment can be customised to customer’s wants — load, terrain, application, and operational necessities,” he mentioned.

In comparison to rivals, Kathuria mentioned, Ashok Leyland would have to migrate all its platforms to BS-VI norms. “The worth that we would offer our prospects in excess of a interval of five to 6 years would be significant,” he mentioned.

Gains of the modular system for the M&HCV assortment, Kathuria mentioned the new chassis would assist customisation of the solution, which in convert would provide better operational economies to the prospects.

In April-January interval of the present-day economical yr, product sales of this kind of vehicles declined by 36.four for each cent yr on yr to 198,736 units. Ashok Leyland’s wholesale despatches in the course of the interval declined by 39 % in excess of final yr to sixty three,178 units.

Subdued volumes took a toll on the company’s economical well being as revenue for the December quarter declined by extra than a third yr-on-yr to Rs four,016 crore, whilst earnings after tax declined to a paltry Rs 28 crore from Rs 381 crore in the corresponding quarter.

Kathuria doesn’t count on the current market problem to improve shortly. “I really do not see a revival happening until the 2nd half of next fiscal. It will choose some time for demand to revive and after that it ought to stay fairly strong. Even so, it would be quite hard to predict a quantity at this time,” he mentioned.

The company mentioned it didn’t foresee the coronavirus outbreak influencing its ideas for migration to BS-VI emission norms, though some of its part suppliers source sections from China.

“While we do not have any immediate suppliers, some of our tier-1 suppliers will be kind of impacted…As of now whatsoever we have recognized, if anything occurs as for each that approach and products start off moving out from China, it ought to not have a main effect,” Kathuria mentioned.

He was responding to a query on regardless of whether the coronavirus outbreak in China would have an effect on its provide chain, therefore impacting its ideas for changeover to BS-VI emission norms from April 1.