Ashok Leyland Stile MPV unveiled in India

Late yesterday, the Ashok Leyland Stile MPV was unveiled in India by Mr. Carlos Ghosn, the Chairman-CEO of Renault and Nissan. The second unveiling of the Stile comes about 18 months after the initial showcasing of this MPV, at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. The Stile MPV is the second product to roll out of the Ashok Leyland-Nissan automaking joint venture, with the first product being the Dost mini pick up truck. Ashok Leyland has sold over 50,000 units of the Dost in India. 

The actual launch and price announcement of the Stile will happen later this year, just before the festive season of Dusshera-Diwali. The Ashok Leyland Stile is a badge engineered version of the Nissan Evalia MPV. While the Evalia is aimed at the family MPV buyer, the Stile will sit lower down the price spectrum and will be aimed at the commercial space comprising of cab operators and goods movers. The Stile MPV gets different styling bits on the outside as its key differentiating elements.

Also, the 1.5 liter Renault K9K diesel engine on the Stile has been detuned to output 75 Bhp-185 Nm (On the Evalia, this turbo diesel motor outputs 85 Bhp-200 Nm). However, the 5 speed manual gearbox drives the front wheels of both the MPVs. Ashok Leyland will offer the Stile with a petrol-CNG dual fuel engine, an option that could be popular with intra-city commercial vehicle operators. The Stile will mark Ashok Leyland's first foray into the car segment.

The MPV will be built at the Renault-Nissan Oragadam joint manufacturing facility, alongside the Nissan Evalia. The Stile will be available in seating configurations that can accommodate 7-8 people, for duty in both urban as well rural areas of India. Also, the MPV will be available in various body styles such as a panel van and an ambulance, highlighting the commercial angle of the Stile's positioning in India. 

An important announcement from the sidelines of the Stile's unveil was regarding the Dost. Ashok Leyland plans to roll out the passenger version of the Dost in the months after the launch of the Stile. The Dost passenger carrier will be the second light passenger vehicle in the Indian utility vehicle major's people carrier line up. The Dost passenger carrier is expected to be made available with diesel and CNG engine options.