Ashok Leyland foresees a production constraint for its light commercial vehicle Dost.
Dost is currently being manufactured at Ashok Leyland’s commercial vehicle plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The LCV line is expected to reach a peak capacity of 55,000 units in the next financial year.
Ashok Leyland, along with its joint venture partner Nissan, is constructing an exclusive LCV plant in Pillaipakkam, near Sriperumbudur. But the plant, spanning 282 acres, is expected to be ready only in 2-2.5 years.
V. Sumantran, Chairman, Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain, said the company is “still working on ways” to tackle the production constraint that will arise in the intervening period.
Currently, two shifts are being operated at the Hosur plant. It is not clear whether the company would rejig operations or add shifts to meet the shortfall.
Dost, the light commercial vehicle from Ashok Leyland, has completed one year in the market. To mark this, the company has launched a limited version edition of Dost in the eight markets it operates.
Ashok Leyland has sold 20,479 units of Dost since its launch a year ago, capturing a leading market share of 31 per cent in the eight states it operates in (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Goa).
Its national market share in the 2-3.5 tonnes pick-up truck segment is 21 per cent, ranking second behind the Mahindra Bolero pick-up vehicle.