The Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland today unveiled the STILE, a stylish Multi-Purpose Vehicle based on a contemporary award-winning platform. STILE will follow the highly successful DOST as the second product offering from Ashok Leyland's fast-growing Light Vehicle business and was developed by the Ashok Leyland - Nissan Motor Company Joint Venture. Set to hit the roads before the festival season, the Ashok Leyland STILE will roll out from Nissan's manufacturing plant at Oragadam, near Chennai.

The STILE will offer the Indian customer a global level of performance and comfort. It has been specially developed to address various applications like 7-8 seat people transport in the urban and rural areas, hotel shuttles, taxi services, ambulances, panel vans, courier services, inter-city and intra-city travel.

STILE was designed to represent modern global styling trends. The monocoque body construction makes for lower weight; while for passengers, it translates into car-like comfort, excellent ride quality and greater safety. The powerful and advanced Common Rail diesel engine, 'DIET' is tuned for low NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) and, especially for India, best-in-class fuel efficiency, The interiors are well-appointed with superior ergonomics. The low floor feature makes for easy entry and exit, while sliding doors on both sides allow for easy access in tight parking spaces. For our crowded roads, STILE offers maximum interior space efficiency. STILE will be available in both Diesel and CNG versions, with a wide choice of seating options of 2 and 3 rows.

Executive comments:

Mr. G P Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group:"Partnership for Growth" is one of the five guiding principles of our Group. In this spirit, we are extremely happy with the way our association with Nissan has grown from strength to strength. Our shared vision and philosophies have found expression in both the products that we have engineered thus far - DOST and STILE. I wish both the Nissan and the Ashok Leyland teams the very best and I am certain that they have brought forth another winner.

Mr. Carlos Ghosn, CEO, Nissan-Renault Alliance:This collaboration has accelerated Ashok Leyland sales and increased Nissan's economies of scale -- while providing customers with unique products specifically tailored to Indian preferences. Our partnership with Ashok Leyland is an obvious 'win-win-win' for both companies and the consumer.

Mr. Dheeraj G. Hinduja, Chairman, Ashok Leyland:With the STILE, Ashok Leyland is entering a new vehicle segment and our confidence with the STILE stems from our confidence in the strength of our combined teams in Nissan and Ashok Leyland. From Ashok Leyland's perspective STILE represents our growing product portfolio and advancing product sophistication to stay ahead of the expectations of our customers. I am confident that STILE will strike the right chord with the Indian customer just like DOST has so successfully done.

Dr. V Sumantran, Vice Chairman, Ashok Leyland and Chairman, Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain Ltd.:Right from the outset, we were determined not to remain a one product/platform or niche player in the LCV space. Following the successful run of the DOST, we are now delighted to present our brand-new vehicle on an award-winning platform that reflects our continued focus on offering Japanese Technology and Quality at Indian Cost. With the STILE also in our portfolio, we are now better positioned to cater to a wider range of needs, and at the same time, address the growing expectations of the Indian consumer.

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