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Ashok Leyland launches Comet 1611

Staff Reporter

The vehicle is targeted at rated payload segments

PHOTO: MOHAMMED YOUSUF

FUEL EFFICIENT: Ashok Leyland's Chief Operating Officer Vinod K. Dasari with Comet-1611, a `growth machine', launched nationally in Hyderabad on Saturday.

HYDERABAD: Ashok Leyland, the Hinduja Group's flagship company producing trucks and buses, on Saturday launched pan-India, the Comet 1611 featuring a factory-built cab, and promising ten per cent savings in fuel costs, thanks to a proven `H' series BS-II four-cylinder engine with an optimised driveline and ZF five-speed synchromesh gearbox and hypoid rear axle.

At a pre-launch press conference here, Vinod K. Dasari, Chief Operating Officer, said that with the truck having fully built body options, the company targeted it to meet the growing demand in rated payload segments such as containers, parcel, courier, white goods and tankers. It also comes with an additional loading span and a comfortable driver cab to boost customer profitability. "Fully-built options such as containers and tankers facilitate customers to earn from day one with the ready-to-use vehicles," he said.

Mr. Dasari said while sales of the company in 2005-06 were 65,000 units across all categories, the company was working to touch the 75,000 units figure by the end of 2006-07.

Venkat Subramanian, head, marketing, said that with markets moving towards the `Hub and spoke model', where bigger vehicles are used on highways up to the transhipment point and smaller payload carriers were useful thereon, Comet 1611 was ideal, especially with increased power-to-weight ratio.

Retail chain expansion, boom in consumer goods sale, larger traffic in courier, parcel and logistics and growing pharma and petroleum industry needs would attract customers for the new model, he said.

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