According to Team-BHP's news reports, the passenger application of the Ashok Leyland Dost is to be branded 'Dost Express.' The Dost Express would compete with last-mile carrier vans such as the Mahindra Maxximo Minivan and the Tata Ace Magic and would launch in the current fiscal.
In terms of price and brand positioning, the Ashok Leyland Dost Express would address buyer needs in a segment below the Stile MPV (Evalia rebadge). The vehicle would be aggressively marketed to semi-urban and rural pockets.
As per sources, the Dost Express can seat 14 passengers and is installed with amenities like power steering and air conditioning on higher variants.
Ashok Leyland is also planning a CNG version of the Dost starting with Delhi to tackle the market slowdown. The CNG version, as a concept, was presented at the Delhi Auto Expo last year. Through a model year update this year, Ashok Leyland revisited the specifications, introduced new cosmetic features and engineered a windshield washer. There's no reason why these upgrades shouldn't be transferred to the Dost Express.
Ashok Leyland will leverage on its partnership with Nissan to produce the Stile from the latter's Oragadam plant. The Dost Express would be made at the company's Hosur plant which is already manufacturing the Dost.
Ashok Leyland sells the Dost in 11 states and in its category, it is the second best in terms of sales volume.
[Source - Team-BHP.com]
