- Ashok Leyland is the main subsidiary of the Hinduja Group of Companies, which pledged to invest billions of dollars in Nigeria’s automobile industry last month.
- The firm’s commercial vehicles, including mass transit buses, trucks and light commercial variants, are assembled at a plant in Lagos.
Ashok Leyland, Hinduja Group’s flagship and India’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, delivered the first batch of the locally produced Liquefied Natural Gas-powered haulage truck. The first batch of LNG-powered haulage AVTR 1922 truck was delivered to Mahanagar Gas Limited in Hosur, Tamil Nadu.
With this development, Ashok Leyland became the first Indian Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to unveil an in-house LNG engine compliant with BSVI Stage II emission standards. This is a significant step from the firm towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future for the Indian transportation industry, the company said. This feat will be of interest to Nigeria’s auto sector. This is because Ashok Leyland’s commercial vehicles, including mass transit buses, trucks and light commercial variants, are assembled by the Stallion Group at a plant {VON Automobiles} in Lagos operated by one of its divisions, Stallion Motors.
This LNG-powered haulage truck is coming to Nigeria when emphasis has shifted from petrol and diesel engines to using vehicles that run on alternative and cheaper autogas, especially LNG and Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, following the government’s removal of fuel subsidy. Interestingly, Ashok Leyland is the main subsidiary of the Hinduja Group of Companies, a conglomerate with a total asset portfolio exceeding $100 billion, which last month pledged to invest billions of dollars in Nigeria’s automobile industry.