Leyland Nissan rolls out Dost from Hosur facility

[Ashley2]

This should have been done well before the showed Dost to public.
But still it looks good.

[rk206]

Just going to add some information from the Dost website ( I know its no new information, but i think it should be a part of this thread.


http://www.leylanddost.com

Some pics :

[.sushilkumar]

Are they supplying dost with alloy wheels . first time in a 1 ton if true

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by .sushilkumar

Are they supplying dost with alloy wheels . first time in a 1 ton if true

I think its only for the photo shoot!
But Air conditioning is a first of its kind in segment including ICV/LCV/SCV

News about Dost in Commercial Vehicle.Never known AL has a design DNA in their facia, which they have incorporated in many products.

Source : leylanddost.com

[arvi86]

I happened to see the new AL Nissan Dost in flesh for the first time. I have to admit that the Dost actually has a lot of things going for it. The design is moderately attractive with the headlights with integrated indicators being the most impressive part. The protruding nose which gives the Dost slightly odd proportions takes some time getting used to though. With a 1.25 ton payload and bigger 14 inch radials, the Dost is also considerably bigger and will ride better than the Ace and other sub-one ton LCVs. The cabin seems to be a nice place to be in and Ashok Leyland is even offering air-conditioning as an option in the top-end variant which is a first in the Commercial Vehicle segment.

The company has announced that the Dost will be powered by a 3 cylinder turbocharged common-rail diesel engine with a power output of 55 bhp. With full-fledged production all set to commence during the festive season, the Dost will be available for sale soon through brand-new dealerships coming up across the country. Before the final launch however, the company is doing some final rounds of testing before pitching this all-important model in the market. This fully loaded test vehicle that looks alarmingly rear-heavy was spotted in the Chennai-Bangalore Highway a couple of weeks back.

Here is wishing both the companies (Ashok-Leyland & Nissan) all success in their first endeavor. Maybe its time for Tata and the Ace family to roll up their sleeves further.

[Ashley2]

The dealer in Chennai was a ex Hino motors dealer. Now he has with drawn and opted for Ashokleyland.

[Zed]

The photographs that appeared along with the press reports during the launched showed a pretty unattractive vehicle. While Id like to reserve my comments from a styling perspective until I actually see the vehicle in the flesh, the photographs in this page certainly point to a reasonably well proportioned vehicle. Perhaps it was the angle from which the press photographs were taken which led to an incorrect first impression of the Dost's design.

I would expect the Dost to be an equivalent or better value proposition than the Ace, considering the fact that AL has had the benefit of gauging the rapidly expanding SCV segment since the launch of the Ace.

Not sure how the SCV sales are split from a demographic perspective & how AL will address this aspect. Could turn out to be a key ingredient in the success story of this new entrant.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Zed

...
I would expect the Dost to be an equivalent or better value proposition than the Ace, considering the fact that AL has had the benefit of gauging the rapidly expanding SCV segment since the launch of the Ace.
.

Dost will not compete with the Ace as they are two different class vehicles.
ACE forms the entry level of SCV segment where as Dost will be the mid segment.
Spec comparison should thro more light (Power : 16hp Vs 55hp - Payload : 07,T Vs 1.25T) etc

[julupani]

Payload wise the Dost is more a competitor for the Mahindra's pickup trucks and Tata's 207DI rather than the Ace.

From the Ace family the closest competitor is the Super Ace, which has a 1ton payload and a 70bhp 135nm engine.

From the above choices, at present point the Dost is a very good buy indeed. But it remains to be seen whether it succeeds, because its going into competition with two extremely entrenched brands. Tata has the small cv segment completely licked, with its Ace(HT & EX), Ace Zip and Super Ace vehicles, while Mahindra has the pick up segment licked with its Camper, Max Truck and Pick-up vehicles.

The problem I think will be that people will perceive the Bolero range as a better vehicle to overload than the Dost. The Bolero's bigger 2.5L engine with 180Nm of peak torque compared to the Dost's 1.5L Common rail engine with 150Nm of peak torque makes me think the Bolero would actually be better off if you decided to put 2tons of load on it.

And if a customer doesn't want something with that much payload capacity, most will buy the Ace or Super Ace and overload that instead.

Add to this the fact that the engines in the Ace, Super Ace and Bolero are a very common sight in India, and can probably be repaired very very easily. In comparison the Dost has a more complicated, very uncommon, 1.5L Common Rail Nissan engine.

Overall, the Dost is going to have a very tough time breaking into the strongholds of two very very strong brands in the Ace and Bolero Pick-ups.

[Zed]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Dost will not compete with the Ace as they are two different class vehicles.
ACE forms the entry level of SCV segment where as Dost will be the mid segment.
Spec comparison should thro more light (Power : 16hp Vs 55hp - Payload : 07,T Vs 1.25T) etc

Thanks for the input Ashley.

If you read my post a second time you will see realize that I was't referring to a competitive situation between the brands. My comments are limited to exterior styling and some of the plus points of not being the first mover into a segment.

The point im driving home is that the 4-wheel SCV segment was opened up by the ACE and what we are now seeing is sub-segmentation. The Super ace variant has a 70 hp engine for a 1 ton payload - as an example.
Later entrants into the 4 wheel 1-ton (generic) segment, M&M and AL have the added advantage of gauging the market response to pricing strategies, vehicle attributes and so on with the ACE customer base as a benchmark.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Zed

The photographs that appeared along with the press reports during the launched showed a pretty unattractive vehicle. While Id like to reserve my comments from a styling perspective until I actually see the vehicle in the flesh, the photographs in this page certainly point to a reasonably well proportioned vehicle.

Tell me about it Zed. Even I thought the same when I initially saw the Dost in the press pics. I was surprised when I saw it in flesh. It was reasonably good-looking and I especially like those very attractive headlights with integrated indicators that, to me, looks like DRL.

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Dost will not compete with the Ace as they are two different class vehicles.
ACE forms the entry level of SCV segment where as Dost will be the mid segment.
Spec comparison should thro more light (Power : 16hp Vs 55hp - Payload : 07,T Vs 1.25T) etc

Ashley2. When I stated Ace family, I actually was referring the slightly smaller Super Ace. In terms of competition, that is the closest to Dost I guess.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by Zed

Thanks for the input Ashley.
If you read my post a second time you will see realize that I was't referring to a competitive situation between the brands. My comments are limited to exterior styling and some of the plus points of not being the first mover into a segment.

Originally Posted by arvi86

.
Ashley2. When I stated Ace family, I actually was referring the slightly smaller Super Ace. In terms of competition, that is the closest to Dost I guess.

Sorry for my misinterpretations.
I suggest you to read the cover story about Dost in my earlier post - I felt they were very interesting and had many untold stories.

[julupani]

Any body know about the prices of the Super Ace, Dost and the various Mahindra Bolero based pick up trucks??

I would imagine considering the volume disadvantage and the fact that the Dost is quite a bit more complicated, I wouldn't be surprised if its a bit costlier than at least the Super Ace.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by Ashley2

Sorry for my misinterpretations.
I suggest you to read the cover story about Dost in my earlier post - I felt they were very interesting and had many untold stories.

Come on pal, no misinterpretations as such. I have already read the cover story the day you posted it. Anything regarding Ashok Leyland? I bet I know who to ask.

[Zed]

@ Ashley.

I really don't think you need to apologize my friend! All of us are prone to misunderstanding statements, especially on this forum with dozens of new posts that we go through everyday.