[TheARUN]

Have never heard of this body builder, but the Bus is surely a very interesting design. Very refreshing and do not remember seeing such a design in the international market too.

This particular example is a 2x2 seater with 1x1 sleeper built on an Ashok Leyland chassis, again on the 12M RE configuration with Air-conditioning running off the engine

[jacob.d.mathew]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Anybody knows whats up with AL sales? Its been down 2 mths in a row.

May sales were down 12% YoY (Year over Year, ie. compared to May 2010). April sales were also down about 15% YoY. Thats 2 straight mths of decline (though Mar 2011 was up 21% YoY).

Tata commercial vehicles instead has seen a growth of about 19% YoY in Apr and May each, and 15% in Mar!

Thats what puzzled me. Generally the CV sales are generic indicators of overall trend.

Hi Harihar. I feel it is because of increased competition. Ashok Leyland now has to not only contend with Tata, it's birth rival, but a number of companies that are collaborated with different countries.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by jacob.d.mathew

Hi Harihar. I feel it is because of increased competition. Ashok Leyland now has to not only contend with Tata, it's birth rival, but a number of companies that are collaborated with different countries.

Hi Jacob. What is your rationale behind quoting a 5 years old post and drawing up vague conclusions, may I ask?

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Found this interesting bus built by S M Kannappa - Prakash from Bangalore. Its on an Ashok Leyland 12M rear engine chassis. Air conditioner running off the engine and semi-sleeper seats. This is as close as one can get to a Volvo B9R or a Scania 12M coach

Good to see seat belts provided for all seats. The bus looks good from the sides and the rear, but the boring SMK frontage doesn't go well with the rest of it. Do you have any pics of the cabin? Is there a separation between the passenger saloon and the driver's area?

[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Good to see seat belts provided for all seats. The bus looks good from the sides and the rear, but the boring SMK frontage doesn't go well with the rest of it. Do you have any pics of the cabin? Is there a separation between the passenger saloon and the driver's area?

Yes I agree, the Zedone front would have looked good on this vehicle and I also think the grill at the rear is a bit overdone, should have been a copy of the 9100. I think the 9100 has one of the best rears amongst its peers.

Sorry, no pictures of the cabin, but to the discerning eye, the dashboard remains the same, run of the mill SMK stuff, cast fibreglass and also, there is no partition between the Driver and the cabin. Its akin to what you find on a Volvo or Scania or any of them international designs

Adding on to the post, the quintessential Tamil Nadu State run bus. AL 222" chassis with engine run air-conditioning and bonded glasses. If I am right, this one has a 185 HP engine and huffs and puffs on inclines or when power is needed

Very rare nowadays to find a sunken gangway. Check out the simple vinyl flooring that matches with the art leather seats. The partition between the Driver and Passengers could have been more thoughtfully executed


The side profile, I think AL has got it spot on with this wheelbase and overhang combination. The 210" is very versatile but I think the 222" would be able to go to 95% of the places that the 210" would cover. I meant the turning radius and length of the vehicle while traversing twisty roads and tight city street turns


Check out the stickering, it reduces the glass area. The simple front must be very repair friendly in the event of minor front collisions


Again, another major benefit of the 222" chassis over the 12M. The door can be placed right in front. In the 12M you have a gap between the door and the front bumper which is sometimes dis-tastefully covered up with a quarter glass. Case in point, the APSRTC Indra busses. The 12M cannot have the door right in front because the AC compressor occupies that place, and hence the door has to be placed close to the front axle and not immediately after the front bumper. Having said that, some bus body builders have the expertise to move the AC compressor to a more interior location and liberate place at the front, however, for some reason, Owners do not prefer this!

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Adding on to the post, the quintessential Tamil Nadu State run bus. AL 222" chassis with engine run air-conditioning and bonded glasses. If I am right, this one has a 185 HP engine and huffs and puffs on inclines or when power is needed

AFAIK, its a 225hp CRS engine, not a 185hp EDC. Huffing and puffing at inclines is because of the driving style. SETC crew do not downshift when needed - but they try to extract power in the same gear.

[TheARUN]

Found these rather interesting designs from HMM Bus Body Builders, Khopoli.

Though the front comes across as subdued or un-inspiring, the fit and finish is right up there with the leading Bus Body Builders


Another design of the same type of coach


Fully sealed luggage compartment with hatches that can be opened even in a constrained space

[DWind]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Have never heard of this body builder, but the Bus is surely a very interesting design. Very refreshing and do not remember seeing such a design in the international market too.

This particular example is a 2x2 seater with 1x1 sleeper built on an Ashok Leyland chassis, again on the 12M RE configuration with Air-conditioning running off the engine

The bus although designed for an interesting requirement might not be popular

1. Ergonomics failure for folks using the sleeper. The climb from berth to last step is quite big and far out.
2. Further there is no way the person climbing down can do so with out hitting the person on aisle seat while reaching out for the ladder.
3. Since the seats are now low slung, luggage space will be compromised -bread and butter for most operators during weekdays

[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by DWind

The bus although designed for an interesting requirement might not be popular

1. Ergonomics failure for folks using the sleeper. The climb from berth to last step is quite big and far out.
2. Further there is no way the person climbing down can do so with out hitting the person on aisle seat while reaching out for the ladder.
3. Since the seats are now low slung, luggage space will be compromised -bread and butter for most operators during weekdays

Could not agree with you more. The Bus on the outside is a winner but loses the plot when you step inside. They would have been much better off going for a 2x1 semi-sleeper seating arrangement sacrificing the upper berths

Azad's take on the Ashok Leyland 12M RE Chassis. The poor Bus Owners Volvo/Scania

[jacob.d.mathew]

Thanks. I thought it was a recent post.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

..

Adding on to the post, the quintessential Tamil Nadu State run bus. AL 222" chassis with engine run air-conditioning and bonded glasses. If I am right, this one has a 185 HP engine and huffs and puffs on inclines or when power is needed
...

The side profile, I think AL has got it spot on with this wheelbase and overhang combination. The 210" is very versatile but I think the 222" would be able to go to 95% of the places that the 210" would cover. I meant he turning radius and length of the vehicle while traversing twisty roads and tight city street turns..

I think you got confused.
This is Ashokleyland 12M Chassis, powered by 225hp CRS engine.

Viking 222" is versatile, and so is the largest selling model.
Tata brought three different models 1512, 1512Ex and now 1515 in the last 6 years (2 of which is obsolete now). But AL competed with it with just Viking and still unaltered since launch. This should tell about its versatile application.

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Again, another major benefit of the 222" chassis over the 12M. The door can be placed right in front. In the 12M you have a gap between the door and the front bumper which is sometimes dis-tastefully covered up with a quarter glass. Case in point, the APSRTC Indra busses. The 12M cannot have the door right in front because the AC compressor occupies that place, and hence the door has to be placed close to the front axle and not immediately after the front bumper. Having said that, some bus body builders have the expertise to move the AC compressor to a more interior location and liberate place at the front, however, for some reason, Owners do not prefer this!
...

12M actually has functional advantage over Viking interms of AC compressor mounting. Whatever you have told is the advantage of 12M, as providing pax entry door little away from windshield, will have higher usable door aperture, with less hindrance from compressor. This makes boarding and alighting easy.

[TheARUN]

Very interesting bus. A REC built seater converted into a sleeper coach. Just imagine how claustrophobic one would feel on the lower berths. Its like looking out of the room ventilator


The front of the same Bus


A shot of the interiors. 2x1 berths, very functional

[tharian]

I got this off Instagram.

Was there ever a TATA built truck like this?
I always used to picture a multi axle TATA SE truck and used to wonder if they ever built a one off. This looks like an export too.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by tharian

I got this off Instagram.

Was there ever a TATA built truck like this?
I always used to picture a multi axle TATA SE truck and used to wonder if they ever built a one off. This looks like an export too.

This is one of their export models. Tata had emerged as a major exporter of trucks by 1970s. Many of their export models were built according to the local requirements of foreign markets. They weren't sold in India. In early 1980s, at the Tata stall in a fair at Pragati Maidan, I even saw a poster of Tata semi forward control tractor!

Most probably, this pic is from Malaysia where Tata had set up a truck assembly plant in 1978 in partnership with Malaysian investors. The JV company was called Tatab Industries Sdn. It assembled Tata trucks from kits imported from India. It functioned till 1983.

[tharian]

And.. another axle gets added.
TATA's 16 tyred, 6 axle truck on test.

Picture taken off Instagram

[Arkesh]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Have never heard of this body builder, but the Bus is surely a very interesting design. Very refreshing and do not remember seeing such a design in the international market too.

This bus is based on a 12M RE chasis from Ashok Leyland. It runs on Bhubaneswar- Kolkata route. The body is built by IBIEL, a Cuttack based bus body builder quite famous in Odisha. The interior specifications such as luggage compartments, seats etc can be custom built by the customers based upon their requirement.